Beat Them At Their Own Game
by MarvelAsh
Summary: We were always ahead of you,one step ahead.We watched your every move, and you fell for it.All of it.We never actually had any use for the others.Only you, and that list you kept in your memory,locked up tight.You were our courier.Passing along every bit of information that we allowed you to hear.And now it's over.The game has ended, and we came out on top.WE won.My version of OSOT
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This story is set after Only the Good Spy Young. It starts out in a Circle base, Mid-July after Cammie ran away.**

******A/N Edit: I went back and redid this whole chapter... Why? Because I reread it and realized...it sucked... seriously... So, I hope you like it!  
**

* * *

(Kyle Matthews POV)

I leaned away from the stone wall to inspect my work. "Almost," I muttered. I stared at my bloody fingers. They had been numb for a while now. I shrugged indifferently and repositioned myself on my stomach. I ran my fingers over the ground in the corner of my cell. They skipped over a rusty nail embedded in the tightly packed dirt floor. I worked on the nail for a few minutes more. The few moments of work were nothing compared to the hours I had spent pulling on it, the months that I had been lying here. Finally, the prized nail burst out of the earth. I held it up in a silent triumphant moment. Then I stopped.

"Great." I muttered. "Now, what are you going to do with it?"

I jerked when I heard the footsteps echoing outside, coming towards my cell door. I mumbled under my breath as I frantically shoved the nail back in the hole, and threw myself over on my back. I closed my eyes and started breathing deeply, hoping that the footsteps outside fell for my sleeping charade.

"They got her." A deep voice whispered. I strained to listen. "She put up a fight, but we finally outnumbered her."

"Her?" A slightly higher voice whispered back. "You mean-?"

"Yeah," The deep voice held a note of awe.

"_HER?_ Have they questioned her yet?"

"Yeah." The first man laughed in disbelief. "She didn't break!"

I felt my eyes widen. Everyone who was placed here had already been…_ questioned_… for some reason or another. And they had all given up whatever information the Circle wanted.

"They're bringing her over here in a few moments.

"What? Here? There aren't any empty cells."

"Yeah, I know. They said to place her in the cell with the Matthews kid. Said that since he's not a spy, there's no danger to it. He's been lying in there asleep for the past 4 months. He's done nothing."

"Well, that-Hey, they're coming."

I heard them walk further down the hall, new footsteps taking their place. I prepared myself, and kept silent and still as the door to my cell slammed open. I heard a shuffle, and a loud _THUMP_. The door slammed shut again, and a quiet moan came from the corner of my cell. I sat up slowly and opened my eyes.

There was a teenage girl about my age me, her wrists bound behind her in thick metal cuffs. Her dark hair was covering her face. I watched as she opened her eyes and sat up quickly. I blinked in surprise. She had been conscious the whole time? She stared at me calculatingly, her eyes giving nothing away. She looked exhausted, bloody, and defiant. Her eyes seemed to change color, indecisive about which shade they wanted to take on.

"Who are you," her voice was emotionless.

"I could ask you the same thing," I went for a mysterious approach. It apparently didn't work.

Her eyes traveled behind me. They lit up for the first time. Not a lot, but suddenly she seemed a whole lot nicer.

"Hand me that please," She motioned with her head towards the corner behind me. I followed her gaze and saw my nail. Leaning over, I yanked it out of the ground.

"It took me two weeks to dig that out." I held it out towards her. She stared at me, then turned herself around. I placed the nail in her hand and watched as she shoved it into the bands around her wrists. Five seconds later, the metal cuffs were lying on the floor beside me. I stared at her in awe. She ignored me, standing up and stretching. She walked over to the door and leaned down. She used the same nail and soon had the door unlocked. I shook my head in awe. She leaned her head out, then walked out the door, motioning for me to follow. We walked down the halls, as I glanced around nervously.

"What is this place?" She sounded interested enough.

"It's a prison camp, I guess. I never asked for an exact definition, to tell you the truth. But everyone who ends up here has been an enemy of the Circle for some reason or another."

"So why are you here?"

"My parents worked for the Circle for most of my life. I never knew exactly what the Circle was though. I was under the impression that my parents worked for the government. But the answers they gave when I asked them about their work didn't add up after a while, so I decided to play spy," I paused, shaking his head. "I got caught and didn't realize what I had gotten myself into."

She stopped suddenly and walked over the the brick walls of the hallway.

I paused with her. "What are you doing?"

She pressed her fingers against one of the brick slabs. A loud _CLUNK_ sounded out and a section of the bricks slid apart, revealing a doorway. And then she smiled.

"Getting us out of here."

-:-:-:-

(Cammie POV)

I winced as the guards threw me onto the ground. I landed on my left shoulder, aggravating an injury that I had gotten fighting Zach's mother. I sat up and opened my eyes right after the door banged shut. The first thing I saw was a boy, around my age. He was staring at me curiously. I kept my face expressionless. The guards had said something about me sharing a cell with 'the Matthews kid.'

"Who are you," I asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Matthews said. I stared at him. Then I noticed something behind him. There was a nail right behind him, looking like it had been shoved there in a hurry.

"Hand me that please," I nodded with my head at the nail. He looked over at it and pulled it out.

"It took me two weeks to pull that out," Matthews said wryly. He held the nail out to me. I looked down at his hand, then repositioned myself so my back was facing him. I grabbed the nail out of his hands and set to work unlocking the chafing metal cuffs around my wrists. I heard them pop open with a satisfying _click_. I stood up, stretched, and began to walk around the small cell. I stopped in front of the door and picked it open. The door slid open. I peeked outside. All clear. Motioning for Matthews to follow, I walked outside and started down the halls.

"What is this place?

"It's a prison camp, I guess. I never asked for an exact definition, to tell you the truth. But everyone who ends up here has been an enemy of the Circle for some reason or another."

"So why are you here?" I studied the brick walls as we walked. Was that...?

"My parents worked for the Circle for most of my life. I never knew exactly what the Circle was though. I was under the impression that my parents worked for the government. But the answers they gave when I asked them about their work didn't add up after a while, so I decided to play spy," he paused, shaking his head. "I got caught and didn't realize what I had gotten myself into."

I stopped suddenly and walked over the the brick walls of the hallway.

He paused with me. "What are you doing?"

I pressed my fingers against one of the brick slabs. A loud _CLUNK_ sounded out and a section of the bricks slid apart, revealing a doorway. And then I smiled.

"Getting us out of here."

-:-:-:-

"What…How…How did you do that!?" He gasped as we ran through the darkness. I stopped briefly, and pointed to myself.

"Spy," I said, loving that I could finally say that, and hating that it wasn't Zach I was saying it to. I wished I had taken him with me. _Stop it Cammie,_ I scolded myself. Doing it alone ensured no one else got hurt.

We slowed down as the passageway came to a dead end. I found another brick and pushed it in. A small section of the wall to my left opened up. It was very thin; we had to walk sideways to fit through it. I slid through and found myself in a small round office. There was a desk, and a large portrait hanging on the wall behind it. I turned back around as Kyle squeezed through and studied the small section that had opened. As soon as Kyle walked through, it slid shut and I stared admiringly at how hard it was to see. If you didn't know it was there, you'd never find it. Well I probably would, but anyway… The whole wooden wall was engraved with beautiful swirly designs and carvings that hid the passageway panel. I shook my head and made myself concentrate. I walked over to the portrait on the other wall and saw an engraving. _Ioseph Cavan._ Matthews walked over and stood beside me, watching as I rummaged through the desk drawers.

"If we get caught in here," He started to say. I stood up and looked him in the eye.

"These people have kept me, tortured me, and almost starved me for two months. I'm not leaving this base without taking…something useful," I said. I found one desk drawer that was locked, grabbed a paper clip off the desk, and started picking the lock. It slid open, revealing two files labeled "Gallagher", and a picture. I grabbed them both and stood up, just as the doorknob on the other side of the room rattled. Putting my finger to my lips, I grabbed Matthews, and quietly ran toward the passageway. I slid it open and pushed Kyle inside. The panel had just slid shut with a _click_, when I heard her enter the office, muttering under her breath. The woman from Boston. The woman from the tombs. Zach's mother. I heard a shuffling noise coming closer to the panel and began to walk slowly away from the wall. To my horror, I saw the panel begin to slide open.

"I know you're there… _Cammie_."

"What…How…How did you do that!?" He gasped as we ran through the darkness. I stopped briefly, and pointed to myself.

"Spy," I said, loving that I could finally say that, and hating that it wasn't Zach I was saying it to. I wished I had taken him with me. _Stop it Cammie,_ I scolded myself. Doing it alone ensured no one else got hurt.

We slowed down as the passageway came to a dead end. I found another brick and pushed it in. A small section of the wall to my left opened up. It was very thin; we had to walk sideways to fit through it. I slid through and found myself in a small round office. There was a desk, and a large portrait hanging on the wall behind it. I turned back around as Kyle squeezed through and studied the small section that had opened. As soon as Kyle walked through, it slid shut and I stared admiringly at how hard it was to see. If you didn't know it was there, you'd never find it. Well I probably would, but anyway… The whole wooden wall was engraved with beautiful swirly designs and carvings that hid the passageway panel. I shook my head and made myself concentrate. I walked over to the portrait on the other wall and saw an engraving. _Ioseph Cavan._ Matthews walked over and stood beside me, watching as I rummaged through the desk drawers.

"If we get caught in here," He started to say. I stood up and looked him in the eye.

"These people have kept me, tortured me, and almost starved me for two months. I'm not leaving this base without taking…something useful," I said. I found one desk drawer that was locked, grabbed a paper clip off the desk, and started picking the lock. It slid open, revealing two files labeled "Gallagher", and a picture. I grabbed them both and stood up, just as the doorknob on the other side of the room rattled. Putting my finger to my lips, I grabbed Matthews, and quietly ran toward the passageway. I slid it open and pushed Kyle inside. The panel had just slid shut with a _click_, when I heard her enter the office, muttering under her breath. The woman from Boston. The woman from the tombs. Zach's mother. I heard a shuffling noise coming closer to the panel and began to walk slowly away from the wall. To my horror, I saw the panel begin to slide open.

"I know you're there… _Cammie_."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! This is my first FF, so please rate and review! I'd really appreciate constructive criticism, since it's hard to critique your own work! Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed or followed the story! Please continue reviewing, and if you have an idea for a future chapter, please don't hesitate to share! I'd love ideas :) Here's Chapter 2!**_  
_

_I know you're there... Cammie._

I whipped around toward Matthews.

"Hide these!" I hissed, shoving the files at him. He quickly nodded, turned, and ran deeper into the passageway. I took one deep breath and put on a cool façade right as the panel opened completely. I stepped back into the office to face her.

"You're getting sloppy," She observed. She paced slowly around the office, arms folded, watching me. "This whole debacle wouldn't even be necessary if you would just tell us what we want to know." She stopped walking and leaned against the desk.

"I won't give you the satisfaction of having it," I said evenly. My Dad had died for that information. I wouldn't be the one to give it up. Whatever information they wanted was obviously worth dying for. And besides, I could hardly tell them what I didn't know myself.

"Very well, if that's how you want to go about it. We'll just have to see how long it takes to pry it out of you. But I can promise you this," She hissed, stepping close to me. "We **will** continue this game until you give in. I won't stop, until you tell me every single little detail of what I want to know. How long this lasts is all up to you, Cameron dear." She stepped back away from me. The door slammed open and three guards rushed in.

"Three against one?" I asked, cocking my head.

"No," She smirked. Two more guards entered. "Five against one." She walked over to the door, then paused with her hand on the doorpost. "Have fun."

Fun? Alright then… I smiled. Then two guards rushed me simultaneously, the first one grabbing me from behind and lifting me off my feet. I kicked the second one in the head, knocking him back. Jerking my head backwards, I head butted the guard holding me, causing him to loosen his grip for a moment. And that was all I needed. I dropped to the floor, kicking his feet out from under him. He landed hard on his elbow, and a loud CRACK echoed throughout the tiny room. The second guard stood back up and ran toward me. I stepped to the side, then turned, punched him in the face, and kicked him hard in the gut. He flew back against the desk, hitting his head on the corner and didn't get back up. Another guard charged towards me. I kicked him back against the fourth guard, knocking them both down like bowling pins. Standing over them, I punched them both in the head, knocking them out.

_Just one guard left,_ I thought with some satisfaction as I turned around. This guard was different though. Whereas the other guards were the stereotypical dime-a-dozen goons that you could probably buy by the dozen online, this guy seemed to radiate confidence and determination. He raised his left hand, and I caught a glimpse of something shiny. Okay…apparently he also came with a knife. He jabbed downward toward me and I jumped back, off balance. Using that to his advantage, he spun around and aimed a roundhouse kick at my head. I flew backwards and my head smacked roughly against the stone wall. _That's going to hurt in the morning,_ I thought grimly. Ignoring the sharp pounding in my head, I pushed myself off the wall and lunged toward him. His hand flew out toward my head again. I ducked, dropping to the floor. I kicked my left leg out and swept his legs out from under him. Standing back up, I jumped over him so I was standing between him and the passageway, instead of the other way around. He got up again and lunged at me. He caught me off guard with a punch to the gut and slashed his knife across my stomach a second later. I gasped and grabbed my stomach, right as he swung the knife back the other way and across my arm. I gritted my teeth and grabbed his left arm. I swung his arm against the wall behind him as hard as I could. His hand flew open and the knife fell out. I sent one final punch to his head, knocking him out, and slumped in relief.

I stumbled back into the passageway, searching for Matthews and the files. I had walked about 30 feet when I noticed a tunnel branching off to the left. Entering it, I found Matthews. He was standing in the middle of a small room frozen in an odd position, surrounded by lasers. He had the files and the picture in a death grip.

"What did you do?" I whispered in surprise.

"I just walked in!" He retorted back. "I didn't realize that it was booby trapped!" I shook my head. If he was a spy, he was definitely out of practice.

"Hold on," I said, somersaulting under the laser nearest me. I walked across the room, dodging the beams as I went until I reached the opposite wall. I grabbed a rock and smashed it down on the mechanism that controlled the beams. They flickered off and Matthews sagged in relief.

"Thanks," He smiled tiredly

"Have you been standing there like that the whole time?" I asked, amused at the thought.

"Uh… yeah." He said sheepishly. Then he noticed my arm and stomach. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"I'm fine," I brushed off his question. "One of the thugs had a knife, that's all. But at the moment, he's lying in a tiny office, out cold with a severe head injury, so I think that makes us about even." He laughed, and we stood there for a few moments, grinning at each other, before I remembered that we weren't out of the woods yet.

"Come on," I said, gesturing toward the door and walking back out. "We haven't completely escaped yet y'know. By the way, seeing as how I've completely saved your butt twice now, don't you think I deserve to know your name?"

"Kyle Matthews," He smiled at me. "Yours?"

"Cameron Morgan." Kyle's smile faded. "What?"

"Remember how I told you that the stories my parents told about their work didn't add up?" I nodded. "Well, once when I was listening to their conversation through the door, I heard them mention your name… and something about a chameleon?"

We were back in the original tunnel now, searching the walls for another way out. I smiled.

"Aw, I'm flattered!" I stopped and stared at the wall. "We'll talk about that later. I think I may have just found our way out!"

**A/N: Thanks for reading guys! Please review and let me know what you think! (We'll see Zach soon, I promise! ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

I studied the bricks in the wall. All of them were rectangles with perfect edges. All but one. I reached out and touched it. The brick was the only one in the wall with one round edge. I stuck my finger in the hole that the rounded edge created, felt a small round button, and pushed it. CLUNK. I stood up and looked around. Kyle looked at me, confusion written all over his face.

"What happened?"

I walked down the tunnel a few feet and found a door.

"Over here!" I called back to him. We walked through the door and found ourselves in another long tunnel.

"We need to hurry. We're going too slowly," I said, quickening my pace to a run.

"Any particular reason we need to move so fast Cameron?" Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Cammie. And I don't want to be here when Zach's mother finds out I beat up all her goons, do you?"

He went silent for a second. "Touché."

We kept running, trying to find the end. I really hoped that this tunnel ended up somewhere outside, not in the middle of a crowded room of Circle agents trying to kill us.

"So… Who's Zach?" Kyle asked, turning to look at me. He was starting to breathe heavily now. Understandable since he hadn't had the spy training I'd had, as far as I knew anyway.

"What?" He caught me off guard.

"You said that the woman whose goons you beat up was 'Zach's mom'," He said, using air quotes.

"Oh, right. Zach is my…uh, my friend." I stuttered slightly. I looked sideways at him, waiting for a response. But Kyle didn't say anything. He looked over and caught me staring at him.

"What?" He asked with a slight grin.

"Nothing!" I quickly looked away. I concentrated on running, searching the tunnel. I felt pressure on my hand. I looked down to see Kyle's hand wrapped around mine. I stared at our hands, looked up at his face, then back down again. And I couldn't help myself. For a few moments, I allowed myself to imagine it was Zach beside me, Zach holding my hand, Zach running alongside me making me mad with that irritating smirk of his. (But I had to admit, after watching his mom smirk at me, his smirk was looking a lot better!) But it wasn't Zach, I reminded myself. Kyle was the one here. And the look on his face was daring me to say something.

"Uhm, Covert Operations procedures and standards, #139! Running while holding hands is 1.787 times slower than running alone!" I stammered, starting to pull my hand away. I sounded like Liz! _Smooth Cam, real smooth._ He slowly let go of my hand, looking slightly confused. He probably had no idea what Cove-ops was. But before he could say anything, we noticed what was in front of us. The tunnel was opening up into a small cave-like area, with more tunnels leading in every direction possible. I wasn't really sure what it was. It reminded me of the tombs at Blackthorne. We slowed to a stop and just stared. Kyle turned to me, waiting. I make a quick decision and turned to him.

"Let's pick one and look for a way out." He nodded. I started walking around, looking at the entrances to each tunnels. I finally found one that was lit up more than the others. Is that… sunlight? We started running down the lit up tunnel.

"So…," Kyle drew out the word. "You like this Zeke guy?"

"Zach," I corrected.

"Yeah. So who's Zeke?" The irony of him deliberately messing up Zach's name suddenly hit home, and I started laughing.

"**ZACH** is… hard to explain." I smiled. We came out into another cavernous room in the cave. Although, I'd never seen a giant cave room with large windows. This one looked like something you'd see in a warehouse. There were metal catwalks hung all across the large ceiling, large tan boxes with _"Caution: Fragile"_ stickers on them. I heard a _ping_. And then the bullets started flying.

-:-:-:-

(Kyle POV)

I have to give it to her. She's a really good… spy? Secret agent? Undercover operative? Not sure of the technical term, but no matter what she calls herself, I'm positive about two things:

She's really good at what she does.

She really likes Zeke.

The tunnel finally ended, emptying out into a large room that reminded me of a storehouse. I turned toward Cammie and watched as a look of horror came over her face. She suddenly pivoted on her heel and tackled me, pushing the both of us to the ground a few feet away. Bullets began poking holes in the ground where we were standing a moment ago. There were two guys with guns on either side of the room shooting at us. Dozens of men suddenly started running through doors, ready to take us out where we stood. Cammie jumped up, pulling me with her. We stood back to back, a few dozen men starting to surround us.

"You know how to fight?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"Took Kajukenbo for nine years," I whispered back.

"Really?" Cammie asked in surprise. "I didn't think many civilians knew that."

"Yeah… I'll tell you about it later, after we're not surrounded by goons in black." I grinned.

After that, it was all a blur. Everything blended together. Punch, kick repeat. These guys weren't bad though. They landed a few lucky shots every now and then, catching us off guard. The snipers kept shooting at us, grazing us every now and then. But they worked to our advantage a little bit. Every time they'd shoot, Cammie and I would move behind the guards, so the snipers were pretty much shooting their own men. We were down to three men. All the others were lying in various positions around us. But just when I thought we were in the clear, I heard someone cry out, and turned to see Cammie crumpling to the ground.

**A/N: Bad new guys! Went to the doctor today because I've been dizzy for about a week and a half now.. Apparently I have a pretty bad concussion. The doctor said that I have to rest my brain, and that I can't do any reading, writing, puzzles, tv, nothing (No lie!) So I won't be able to update for a few more days. Im sorry if this chapter wasn't the greatest.. I wanted to write SOMETHING for you guys before I start resting and stuff. Not very happy with this doctor at the moment lol But anyway, please read and review! Thanks!**

**also, Kajukenbo is a real thing... I didn't make it up haha  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I wasn't able to get on the computer until today, Doctor's orders... I didn't have long to work on this chapter, sorry! But anyway... Here's chapter four!**

(Kyle POV)

Cammie lay on the ground, her face twisted in agony. I flew into action, jumping in front of her. I took out the remaining man with a well placed roundhouse kick. The snipers were out of bullets now, and left their stations. They started running toward me, their intentions clear. I grabbed Cammie and placed her behind one of the shipping boxes beside me, then ran back out to face the snipers. One of the snipers came up to my left and immediately threw a punch toward my face. I ducked down and tackled his mid-section. We landed on the ground, and I sent a strong hit to the side of his head, knocking him out. The second sniper had been stationed farther away, and was just now reaching me. I spun around on the ground and kicked my feet up, right as he ran up to me. My feet caught him in the stomach and I swung my legs up higher, kicking him over my head. He landed behind me, his left shoulder taking most of the impact. The sniper struggled to stand back up, favoring his left arm. I jack-knifed to my feet, whirling around to face him. He approached me warily now, unsure of how to continue with his left side out of commission. His hesitance cost him. I threw a clean kick at his head, and he sank to the floor unconscious. I stood there for a second, feeling relieved at my success. And then I whirled around and ran back to Cammie.

(Cammie POV)

Pain. That was all that my brain could grasp. It flooded my body, engulfing all of my senses. I fought to open my eyes, but they only stayed open for a moment. Long enough to see Kyle's worried face hovering above me. And then I drifted back into the welcoming darkness.

(Kyle POV)

I ran around the shipping container that Cammie lay next to. I kneeled next to her and looked her over, trying to figure out where she was hurt. I heard a light moan and quickly looked at her face. Cammie's eyelids fluttered open for a second, and her eyes connected to mine. Then they slid closed as she passed out. She had her arms crossed tightly over her stomach. I gently took her hand and pulled it away, being careful not to touch the knife wounds on her forearm or stomach. Then I moved her other arm away and gasped. Her stomach was completely covered in blood. I moved her jacket off her stomach. The knife cut from her earlier fight had opened up again and she had another wound on her side. Was that a…? It was a bullet! The sniper hit Cammie… I sat back on my heels, dumbfounded. I don't have any experience with serious injuries, especially bullet wounds! I sat there in a stupor for a few moments thinking through my options, unsure of what to do. I finally settled on taking off her jacket, turning it inside out, and wrapping it around her middle. I stood back up again, intent on finding us a way out. I thought through a few options:

Pick her up and walk out the doors. (Not very sneaky or spy-like. They'd find me in a minute, and I can't fight off a bunch of thugs while taking care of an unconscious Cammie!)

Find a phone and call for help. (They probably have all the phones tapped. And I have no idea who to call.)

Pick a dark passageway and wait for Cammie to wake up. (I have no idea how long that will take, and she's in pretty bad shape.)

I had no idea what to do. Great.

(Cammie POV)

I woke up suddenly, looking around in a daze. We were still in the warehouse. After several attempts, I managed to get myself up on one elbow, pain searing through my side. Kyle was a few feet away from me, pacing a path into the ground and muttering under his breath.

"Kyle," I called to him. He jerked to a stop and ran over to me.

"Are you all right? Do you feel okay?" He stammered.

"I'm fine. We've got to get out of here through; we've been here too long." I pushed myself to my feet. "Find a phone." We started walking over to a desk in the front of the room.

"What if someone overhears the phone call?" He asked as he handed me the business phone that was lying on the counter. I walked behind the counter and looked along the various electronics that were scattered around.

"Here it is," I mumbled, disconnecting a miniscule recorder from the phone. "That'll do it. No one will be listening to our conversation now." I picked the phone back up and dialed the number that I knew by heart.

"Hello?" I heard my mother's voice come over the speakers for the first time over two months. A sob caught in my throat.

"Mom. I'm at the Circle base in Milwaukee and I-"

"Cammie!" My mom yelled in my ear, interrupting me. I looked up to see Kyle looking at me questioningly and realized that tears were running down my face. I smiled reassuringly, talked a few minutes more, and then hung up. I turned back to Kyle.

"They're on their way. We need to get out as quickly as possible." He nodded. We made it out of the base without any trouble and walked two miles east, until we were standing on the docks of Lake Michigan. I gazed over the horizon, searching for any familiar sight. The pain from my injuries had gotten much worse and I was trying as hard as I could to hide it.

"It's been so long…" Kyle said haltingly, jolting me from my daze. I looked at him curiously. "Since I've been outside. They held me in the base for eight months." I gave him a sideways hug, a reassuring look, and then smiled as I caught sight of my mother stepping out of Macey's jet and running towards me.

-:-:-:-

(Catherine Goode POV)

"Um… Excuse me?" I looked up and leveled a frosty glare at the mousy guard standing in front of me. "The target… uh… escaped." He turned to the side, attempting to shield himself from my answer. I smiled. He looked at me uneasily, waiting for something to happen.

"We know where she is. She will not be allowed her freedom for very long." And I allowed myself one last smile, envisioning the plans I had for Cameron in the not-so-distant future.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Finally able to go back to normal, so I should be able to update more often now :) Here's Chapter 5! Hope you like it!****  
**

(Cammie POV)

During the two mile walk to the lake, the wounds in my stomach had gotten worse. I had stumbled along holding onto Kyle's arm for most of the trip, feeling light-headed from the loss of blood. But the searing pain in my stomach seemed to disappear now as my mom ran toward me…And then came back full force when she wrapped her arms around my middle and gave me a nice long squeeze. I gasped as black spots appeared in my vision. My knees suddenly betrayed me, buckling under my weight. Kyle stepped quickly behind me, bent over, and scooped me into his arms. The world started spinning around me. I struggled to hang on a little bit longer, completely mortified that I was passing out in from of my mother. I had been off on my own mission for over two months, only to return and pass out as soon as Mom showed up. I hung on, staying conscious long enough to hear a familiar voice yell.

"Gallagher Girl!"

"Zach?" I forced my eyes open and saw Kyle's and Zach's worried faces hovering above me. I stared at them hazily as long as I could. But a few moments later I felt myself spiraling into the darkness once again.

-:-:-:-

(Kyle POV)

I jumped behind Cammie just as she collapsed out of her mother's grip. Mrs. Morgan gasped and looked up at me. She had a shocked look in her eyes, shifting to confusion as she realized that she didn't know who I was. We both stared at Cammie, lying in my arms, not quite unconscious yet. She seemed to be in a daze. I looked back toward her mother.

"What happened to her?" She yelled over the noise from the jet's engines.

"She's been shot! She needs a medic!" I called back.

A guy around my age appeared in the doorway of the jet, running down the stairs and skidding to a stop near Cammie. He stepped across from me and leaned over Cammie.

"Gallagher Girl!" He exclaimed, sounding slightly panicked. Cammie's eyes flickered open for a moment.

"Zach?" She whispered, looking between the two of us. Her eyes fluttered closed again as she passed out.

"She's out! We need to get her some help, quickly!" I said, trying to make my voice heard over all the surrounding noises that were echoing around us. Zach nodded and led the way back to the jet. I struggled a bit carrying Cammie up the stairs. The months in the prisonlike base with hardly any food had taken its toll on me. I was very weak, and any energy that I had was taken away today from all the fighting. I paused for a moment on the stairs, attempting to catch my breath. Zach came back to the doorway of the jet and stepped down the stairs. He stopped a step above me, scowling slightly when he saw Cammie still in my arms. The scowl passed quickly and instantly morphed into a small smirk.

"Let me help," He said, lifting Cammie out of my arms. He darted back up the stairs with seemingly no effort. I heaved myself up the remaining stairs and walked through the doorway. Right inside the entryway of the jet, there was a large area with couches lining both walls and a coffee table or two placed sporadically in the middle of the floor. There was a doorway at the other end of the couch area that led to another room with several sets of tables and chairs. Everything was spread out with tons of space, and it all screamed 'swanky'. Whoever owned this jet apparently wasn't wanting for money.

Zach laid Cammie on a couch along the farthest wall. I collapsed on the opposite couch, sat there and watched them. Zach hovered near Cammie and her mom, intently watching her face and never leaving her side. I realized with some surprise that I felt pretty protective of Cammie. Which was odd considering I'd just met her today. I guess going through several life-threatening experiences can do that to you though. I studied Zach for a few moments more. He seemed alright. Standing back up, I walked over and turned my attention to Cammie. Her mom was leaning over, trying to assess how bad her wounds were. I felt the jet take off, right as she turned to face me, her shoulders drooping in distress.

"I don't know what to do. It's going to be an hour and 49 minutes until we land in Roseville." She said.

"She'll make it. She has to." Zach replied convincingly. "What happened to her?"

"I…I'm not exactly positive," I looked between both of them apprehensively. "and what I do know will be a pretty long story in and of itself,"

Mrs. Morgan sat down beside Cammie, gesturing for us to do the same. "Well, we have a while. Let's start with the basics. Who are you?"

"My name is Kyle Matthews," I saw Zach stiffen out of the corner of my eye. "What?"

"Nothing," He replied smoothly. I studied his face for a moment, but he looked normal. I wondered if I was just imagining the tension I had seen in his face.

"I need you to start from the beginning and tell me everything you know," Mrs. Morgan said, her eyes pleading with me.

"About how Cammie got hurt?" I asked. She cocked her head.

"Yes, that too. But I meant I need you to tell me absolutely everything. Who you are, where you met Cammie, and how you ended up in a Circle base." She said. I stared at her, trying to decide what to do. My entire family had deceived me my whole life. I wasn't sure who to trust now.

"Mrs. Morgan, with all due respect," I began tentatively "I'm not quite sure why I need to tell you anything except for how Cammie got hurt." I waited for a response, silently begging her to give me a reason to trust her. She sat there in her seat silently for a moment, absentmindedly stroking Cammie's hair. Finally she spoke.

"Because the Circle has been hunting my daughter incessantly for more than a year. Because they've been threatening the safety of the girls at the Gallagher Academy. Because earlier this summer, my daughter disappeared with the intention of finding out why they've been hunting and tormenting her, and we haven't heard from her since. And I intend to do everything in my power to punish them for all of that," She finished talking, her voice low and intent. I sat there, quietly listening to her. And then I realized what she had said.

"The Gallagher Academy?" I asked sharply.

"Yes," She replied, a slightly confused look coming over her face. "I am the headmistress there. The Gallagher Academy For Exceptional Young Women." I gawked at her, my mind racing.

"All right…I'll tell you," I said, my voice getting hoarse. And then I began, starting with the day everything in my life changed.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review! Let me know what you think should happen, or shouldn't happen :) All input is appreciated... Thanks guys!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! They really do inspire me to write reviews! Here's Chapter 6 :)**

(Kyle POV)

"I never really knew what my parents did for a living, not exactly. I had asked them about their jobs a few times, but the answer was usually pretty vague. They said that they both had government jobs, that their jobs were top secret, and that they worked to convict conmen."

"What are your parent's names?" Mrs. Morgan asked softly. I saw Zach hold his breath.

"Alec and Parker Matthews," I said carefully, trying to gauge Zach's reaction. He exhaled deeply and turned to look at Cammie's mother.

"I've never heard those names," she spoke quietly. She turned to Zach. "Have you?"

"They work with my mother. I'm not even sure if the head agents at CIA and MI6 know of them. But… they work very closely with my mother." Zach replied. I suddenly remember Cammie calling the woman at the base "Zach's mother" and I sat back in shock. My own parents were part of this? They were okay with me being kept in that horrible base for months? My mind was reeling too fast. Nothing made any sense.

Mrs. Morgan sighed, almost inaudibly. "Please continue," she said to me.

"Well, a little while after I turned 16, 2 ½ years ago, I started noticing some odd things about my parents said. Their stories wouldn't add up. They would tell me one small detail about what they were doing, and then they would accidentally contradict themselves later. They got careless. Once I overheard them whispering about a 'project.' They mentioned Cammie's name and something about a chameleon. I heard them say, 'We'll have her soon. We'll break her and finally get what we want.' I started wondering exactly what my parents did for a living." I paused for a moment and shook my head. "One day, I came home from school early, and my parents didn't know. I walked around the house looking for them. They weren't there. The cars were in the garage, all their stuff was still in the house, but I couldn't find them. When I walked through their room looking for them, I tripped and accidentally fell into their open closet. I guess I set something off, because when I got back up, there was a small opening in the back corner of the closet. It opened up into a set of steep stairs going down into a hidden basement that I didn't even know we had.

It was one of the biggest surprises that I've ever had. It was the perfect 'Mission Impossible' room. There were lab desks, weapons, tons of things that I couldn't even figure out. And the rooms were endless. Every time I thought I had seen it all, I'd find another room. Then I heard my parents. They were in the room right outside me, and their voices were getting closer. I ran as quickly and quietly as I could, back up the stairs and out of their room, closing the door behind me. When they came back up and found out I was home, my mom told me that they were going to leave on a trip for work. That was all they would say. And I decided to follow them."

I stopped and took a breath. Zach and Mrs. Morgan were sitting silently, taking everything I had said in. Zach looked up at me.

"How does Cammie fit into this?"

"I'm getting there," I continued. "I followed them to what I know now was a Circle base. And somehow I ended up getting inside. I'll admit, it was mostly dumb luck. I'm not an assassin, or a spy. The only 'training' that I've had is the Kajukenbo that I took for nine years. My parents insisted," I said as an afterthought. "And I got caught. Caught, beaten, interrogated. I was kept in the Circle base for about eight months, I think. It's very easy to lose track of time in there. The space where I was kept was like a prison labor camp. Most of the people kept there were broken Circle enemies or traitors. And early this morning, I overheard some guards talking outside of my cell. They said that she didn't break during the 'questioning'. 'Questioning is just a nice term for torturing. **Everyone** breaks. Eventually everyone gives in, gives up what the Circle wants. But not Cammie," I looked over at Cammie admiringly. Then I turned and looked at her mom. "Cammie didn't give them whatever it is they wanted. You should be very proud of her."

Mrs. Morgan smiled a small, watery smile. "Oh, believe me! I most definitely am."

I finished telling her and Zach the rest of my story, right up until Cammie called her mother, and then sat back against my seat. I was exhausted, weary from the day's events. Mrs. Morgan stood up slowly and walked out of the room.

"It's doesn't get any easier." Zach said suddenly.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Having terrorists for parents. It never gets easier," He answered sadly. He gazed down at Cammie, who was still lying unconscious on the couch. "Especially when their life's work is making your life miserable." I nodded in response. Zach stood up, much like Cammie's mom had.

"We'll be landing in 3 minutes and 23 seconds."

-:-:-:-

I walked over to the window right before we landed. The Gallagher Academy reminded me of a fortress. It was **huge**. I felt the jet slow down until we had come to a complete stop.

"We're here," Zach pointed out the obvious, walking over to Cammie. He carefully picked her up and walked over to the exit, Mrs. Morgan and I following closely behind. I looked around once we stepped outside. We had landed behind the school. We walked together, up to the back doors. Mrs. Morgan reached toward the door handle, but before she could grab it, it opened up for her. We were ushered inside by a beautiful woman who looked a lot like Mrs. Morgan.

"Cammie!" She gasped.

"She's been shot, Abby." Mrs. Morgan said quickly. "She needs medical attention."

Abby nodded. "The doctors are waiting in the infirmary. I got a hold of them right after you called me." She led the way through the school. The school looked even bigger on the inside than on the outside. It was endless. We passed through dozens of huge hallways and rooms, making our way to the infirmary. Finally pausing outside one of the doors, Abby paused and opened the door. Mrs. Morgan went inside with Zach, watching as he laid Cammie down on the table inside. He gazed at her for a moment and then walked back out, leaving Cammie and her mom with the doctors. Abby shut the door behind him. We stood here for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"I'm Kyle," I said, awkwardly breaking the silence. Abby smiled gratefully at me.

"I'm Abby, Cammie's aunt. Thank you fo-"

"Where's Cammie?" A deeper voice interrupted Abby. It sounded vaguely familiar. I turned around. And looked into the eyes of the one person I never thought I'd see again.

"JOE?!"

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Chapter 7! Yay! This chapter was really hard to write, mainly because everytime I would get on the family computer [Mine broke :( ] somebody would find a way to kick me off! So, even though this chapter is kinda a fill-in chapter, it was probably one of the toughest ones... But anyway, hope you like it!**

(Cammie POV)

I woke up to the sound of heavy breathing. I lay still, acting as if I was still asleep, listening to the sounds around me. The breathing noises (at least four people it sounded like, maybe five), stayed around me for several long moments.

"We know you're awake Cam." I heard Liz say. I opened my eyes to see Bex, Liz, Macey, Kyle, and Aunt Abby leaning over me. I felt my mouth move, seemingly of its own will, forming a small smile as I took in the faces of all my friends, and then twist slightly in confusion as I look around me. The infirmary? What am I doing here? I sat up as quickly as I could, my mouth opened in a silent gasp as pain ripped through my abdomen. I resisted the urge to grab my stomach seeing as how four of the best spies I knew were sitting two feet from my face. My mind began reeling as I attempted to figure out what was wrong with me. Macey frowned. "What's wrong?" Apparently I wasn't hiding it as well as I had thought. I cleared my throat and looked at Macey questioningly.

"Why am I in the infirmary? What's going on?" My voice sounded hoarse, rusty. I watched the group exchange worried glances. Macey, who was sitting closest to me, leaned forward to catch my eye.

"Don't you remember what happened Cam?" Her brow furrowed with concern.

"I remember escaping the pris-"I caught myself and fixed my mistake smoothly, "the base. And finding the passageway." I looked up to meet Kyle's gaze, cocking my head uncertainly. He gave a nervous smile, and gestured for me to continue. "And… the woman. The woman…from…" My voice dropped to a low whisper. I found myself staring at the wall in a daze, my mind unwillingly going back.

..:: l| _FLASHBACK_ |l ::..

_I struggled against the ropes that were binding my arms behind my back. The harder I pulled, the more the ropes burned. They seemed to bite into my skin, leaving my wrists bleeding and raw. I looked around blindly, straining to listen. The darkness taunted me; it seemed to pulse around me, squeezing until I felt smothered, claustrophobic. I whipped my head around toward the shuffling I heard on my right. I knew she was in here somewhere. The woman from Boston and her assistant, hired to torture me. My muscles tensed up automatically, waiting for something to happen. The new silence was deafening. I sat on the concrete floor mutely, refusing to make any noise._

_ There was the sound of someone rushing through the darkness toward me. I whirled around, right as something smashed over my head again and again. I crumpled to the ground, writhing around to escape the blows. The heavy metal crowbar slammed into my stomach, my knee, my back. I lashed out with my feet, feeling them connect at the same time I heard a loud grunt. I was suddenly hauled off the floor and into air, hands squeezing my arms tight enough to leave massive bruises. _

_ "Where is it? Tell me!" The hands squeezed tighter as the woman yelled in my ear. "Give it up Cammie." I was thrown to the ground, my head cracking against the concrete. The woman grabbed my hair, pulling my head close to what I assumed was her face. She shook me hard. "I have lots of fun planned for you," She snarled in my face. "We can do this as long as you want. I WILL outlast you." I stayed rebelliously silent, daring her to continue her game. I would not break. Everyone I love had suffered to keep me from her. I wouldn't let their efforts be in vain. _

_ I had lost all of my energy, all my will to keep fighting. So I lay there. I sat noiselessly when the goon hit me. When he threw me against the wall, I blinked. I detached myself from the torture and remembered. Remembered Zach dipping me in the middle of the Grand Hall. Remembered spying and pulling stunts with my best friends. Helping Liz test out all her theories. Sitting grumpily while Macey tried out hairstyles and make-up techniques on my unwilling face. Fighting Bex, both of us trying to best each other in P.E. I remembered all of it so clearly. And I welcomed the darkness when it came, pulling me deeper into my memories. I drifted off to thoughts of my dad, a song playing in the back of my head. Circus music…_

..:: l| _REALITY_ |l ::..

"Cammie!" Liz shrieked in my face. I jerked back.

"What?!" I asked in surprise, wondering why everyone looked so freaked out. I reached down to my stomach, not bothering to disguise the pain this time. I moved my hands, noticing for the first time that there were IV's and machines hooked up to my arms, monitoring my body. The heart rate monitor was beeping nonstop. I took several deep, calming breaths, hoping to stop the loud obnoxious noise that filled the room.

"Cam, what happened?" Liz's eyes filled with tears.

"I was just… what was I saying?"

"You were talking about what you remember before now," Bex said, a calm façade enveloping her. She was good, but the deep worry in her eyes gave her away. I sat up straighter. I hated that I was once again causing them to worry. I plastered on a warm smile.

"Right!" I said brightly. "I remember fighting the Circle agents in the little office. And the laser beams." I sent a wry look in Kyle's direction. He grinned sheepishly. "And after that…"my voice faded. I looked around in bewilderment. "I don't remember. What happened?"

Everyone looked to Kyle for an explanation. He shifted nervously. "We left through another branch of the passageway that you found. Ended up in a warehouse-like room. Agents flooded the room, along with two snipers. We fought as hard as we could, taking down most of them. The snipers helped, they didn't have very good aim. But they got lucky once. And once is really all it takes." He paused for a breath. "And you went down from the sniper's last bullet. I took down the last two goons. Didn't really know what to do after that. But you woke up in time to keep me from spazzing. Disconnected the bugs attached to the phones and called your mom. We walked the two miles or so to Lake Michigan, and you collapsed from all your injuries. Fancy jet came, flew us here." He finished summing it all up and shrugged. "That's about it." I nodded slowly and turned to my right towards Aunt Abby.

"Where's my mom?"

**A/N: Had to stop there, mainly because my computer is broken... and I had to go to the library and use the computer to upload this for you guys... (My computer hates me :/ ) Sorry peoples! I'll try to get the nest chapter up as soon as I can. :) But in the meantime,please, please, please review and let me know what you think! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I just realized that I have never put a disclaimer on my story.. Do I need one? I don't think so... But just in case I do... **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! There ya go :) And now, finally Chapter Eight! Yay!:**

(Cammie POV)

I sat patiently, keeping all expression off of my face. My mom had come in and talked to me, explaining gently that I needed to be debriefed before anything else happened. I slowly nodded, knowing it was inevitable, and at the same time, not wanting to relive the memories anymore than I had to. But the agents came anyway. Kyle had given my mom the files we got at the base, and they brought it with them. They contained all the information that the Circle had gathered on me and my dad, but nothing of any importance fortunately. They sat down and started asking questions. And I told them everything, as indifferently as possible. I separated all emotion from my voice, very much aware of my mother sitting there listening. I answered all of the questions that they had. I recounted what had happened with Zach's mother, the methods she had used in her attempts to extract information from me. I counted down the minutes in my head until they left (73), the number of questions they asked (148), and all the times they exchanged unreadable glances (34). They finally let up on me, gathering all of their files in their arms. They nodded at my mother and exited the room without a backward glance, leaving me and my mom sitting tensely in the silence. I looked at her reluctantly, slightly afraid of what her reaction would be. She was sitting motionless in her chair, her back rigid, tears collecting on her eyelids. She had lost too much weight since I had left. She looked tired, worn, and weary. I had caused all that, all of the worrying. The realization weighed heavily on me.

"I'm so sorry Mom," I whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt you." The dam broke silently, tears beginning to cascade down her face. She stood up and walked the two feet over to my bed. I scooted over to make room for her and felt the bed sink slightly as she sat down next to me. She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me as tight as she could.

"Don't ever do that to me again," Her voice was muffled by my hair. I nodded solemnly.

"I won't. I promise." We sat there for a while, the only noise being the sound of my mother crying as she held me.

-:-:-:-

I was going stir-crazy. I stared blankly at the boring white ceiling, my eyes wide. 5789,5790,5791,5792… There were 5792 dots on the ceiling. My left eye twitched. I breathed. I lay there silently, itching to get out of the bed and just walk around. I started assessing my injuries in my head. A bullet wound, severe concussion, knife wounds, and tons of bruises, cuts, abrasions, and almost healed scars. 32. 32 injuries. I didn't bother to count all the injuries from the questioning in the base. Many of them had tentatively healed while I was stuck there. Zach's mother and her assistant left me alone for a few hours every once in a while, long enough for me to recover slightly. I flexed my left arm and leg, testing them out. They had broken a few weeks ago. I huffed in frustration, feeling the stiffness. _I'm losing my mind,_ I thought.

"That's it!" I yelled.

Throwing the covers back, I made a snap decision and pushed myself off the bed. I stumbled slightly, grabbing onto the bed railing. My concussion was still making me wobbly. I took a few deep breaths and walked (ok, hobbled… Slightly…), over to the window. The infirmary window looked out over the grounds of the school, the P&E barn, the lake. I hadn't seen any of it for months and looking out over it felt good. I watched as the students filed out in groups toward the barn, start their warm-ups, practice different fighting techniques. I realized then how much I wanted to be out there with them, how much my injuries were stopping me and weighing me down. A new resolve filled me. I placed my hand on the bandage covering my bullet wound, promising myself that I would get out and back to normal as soon as possible. I turned away from the window and glanced toward one of the chairs in the room. There was a small pile of clothes lying on the arm; Shoes, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a hairbrush were lying on the seat. I picked all of it up, walking toward the bathroom. Ten minutes later, I left the bathroom dressed in jeans, a long sleeved black tee, and sneakers. I put my hair up in a high ponytail and left the infirmary. I walked down the hall, staying hidden in the shadows covering the wall on my right. There was a row of four bookshelves along the wall beside me. I walked down to the end of the row. The last bookshelf was tucked into a corner. I slipped my hand in between two of the smaller paperback books at eye level. My fingers found the small button and I pushed it. The small piece of wall that you could see between the shelf and the corner wall opened up. I twisted sideways and disappeared into the darkness as only I can do.

I knew the whole passageway, could walk it with my eyes closed. And that's pretty much what I had to do. The whole tunnel was pitch black, but I kept walking, unsure of my destination. I walked 32.9 yards and stopped in front of a large square piece of glass in the wall. I looked through the glass and straight into Zach's eyes. The glass was part of a two-way mirror in the lounge near Zach's room. I put my fingers up to the glass by his face. I'd missed his emerald green eyes.

"So she's back?" I heard a familiar voice call out from somewhere in the lounge. I frowned, trying to place the voice. Zach didn't turn around at the question.

"Yeah," His voice sounded almost….. Sad? I considered leaving for a moment. I _was_ eavesdropping, and wasn't supposed to hear this. But hey, I'm a spy! It's what we do. My conscience now settled, I turned my attention back toward the glass.

"I thought you'd be happy about it," Grant appeared in the mirror behind Zach, Jonas following close behind. I cocked my head curiously, wondering why the Blackthorne boys were here. Did we have another exchange? Were they here for me? To see Mr. Solomon? The questions rolled around in my head. I ignored them all. For now.

"I'm happy she's back," Zach finally turned away from the mirror and faced them. "But my mother had her. And now, if she's changed… My mom is… she might have" Zach fumbled for the worlds, for once not coming off as cocky. It was weird watching Zach, unsure of what to say or do. He took a breath and tried again.

"My mom is a terrorist. She's made it her job to get Cammie, torture her, and make her miserable. And she may have succeeded." Then some of the fire returned to his eyes. He looked like the Zach I know now. "And she brought that Kyle guy back with her!" He exploded. Jonas looked like he was trying not to laugh. Grant didn't bother trying. He busted up laughing, turning away from Zach and collapsing on one of the lounge couches.

"Jealous?" He poked fun. Zach glared at him. I waited impatiently for Zach to answer, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Grant made an attempt at a straight face. "Seriously though, is tha-Hey Liz!" He clammed up as Liz walked through the door holding a laptop.

"H-hey, Jonas?" Liz blushed, "Could you help me with this?" She walked over to Jonas and started explaining her problem, using definitions and tech talk that I couldn't understand. Zach smirked triumphantly at Grant and walked out of the room. I waited a few minutes more, then turned and continued down the tunnel.

**A/N: I've been trying to decide where to go from here... Should Cammie be sent to Blackthorne? Should the guys stay at Gallagher for a while? What should happen next? Let me know what you think! Speaking of which, I haven't gotten many reviews lately. Not gonna lie, it's a little disappointing! I'm going to continue writing the story, but It'd be awesome if you guys would let me know what you think about the story, and what you think should happen next! Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks soooo much to everyone who reviewed! ColleenPayneSwiftieDirection er, SimplyLove17, Rosie 3425, Zammie88, SexyBest123, and : You guys are the best! And this chapter is dedicated to LoudNProud, who has reviewed every single chapter so far! You guys rock!  
**

**-Also, I realized just a little bit ago that Cammie is 18 the summer that she runs away…. I thought she was 17, and Cam and Kyle are around the same age! So I've changed his age when he mentions it in Chapter 6… My bad! Sorry for any confusion!-**

**Anywho… Here's chapter 9! Hope you like it!**

* * *

(Kyle POV)

I studied the brick wall in front of me. This should not be that difficult. _It's here somewhere… She made it look so easy!_ I thought hard, trying to remember what Cam had done. I touched the wall and started running my fingers over the bricks. Up and down, left and right. I closed my eyes in concentration, feeling the rough jagged edges of the red slab. Nothing. I stopped and dropped my arm in frustration. _Now what?_ Just then, a small corner of the wall across from me slid open. I whirled around, gaping as Cammie slipped out from a hidden section of the brick. She stared at me curiously.

"What?" She crossed her arms, eyebrows raised.

"How..? How do you..?" I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. She waited patiently. "I've been looking all over these walls! Every single brick, every hallway… How in the world do you find them?" I stopped short, seeing her smirk.

"Y'know, they aren't called 'secret' passageways for nothing," Cammie put on a straight face. "Not many people know that they're here. And most of the privileged people who know about them found out from me."

"It's been driving me insane ever since you did it at the base," I admitted. I sighed heavily, meshing my fingers together behind my head. Realization suddenly flooded me, and I stared at her questioningly. "Wait a minute… Aren't you supposed to be in the infirmary for another three days?"

She shook her head at me. "Do you want to go look at secret passageways or not?" I smiled, nodding my head. Cammie turned and led the way down the hall. I followed silently for a moment, catching up to her quick pace. She walked over to a tapestry hanging on the wall and pushed it aside. Her fingers instinctively found one brick in particular and pushed in on it, causing a chain reaction that resulted in another passageway opening up beside the wall hanging. I grinned in excitement and walked into the dark tunnel, whistling at the length. We walked side by side down through the maze of tunnels beneath the school.

"This is amazing! How many of them are there?"

"43. Most of them just connect rooms or tunnels to each other. There aren't very many that go outside."

"How long did it take you to find all of them?"

"A little over a month. Probably would've been quicker, but the schoolwork can be pretty difficult when you're a brand-new spy-in-training. Classes and homework take up a lot of time."

"Really? Wow… " I looked over at her, surprised.

"I know this school like the back of my hand. I can walk it blindfolded," She smiled. "Literally! Liz and I proved it in 8th grade."

I looked down wistfully for a moment, looking back when I felt her looking at me.

"What's wrong?" Cammie asked. I contemplated telling her. If there was anyone in this school that I could trust, it would be Cam. She was one of the only people who really understood what I had gone through with the Circle. Except maybe Zeke. But I didn't want to think about that right now.

"I'll admit it," I raised both my hands, "I'm a little jealous!" My statement stopped her in her tracks, her head whipping toward me.

"Jealous?" Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Well…yeah. I mean, you've got your mom and aunt, your best friends, an entire school of sisters…J-Joe. I thought I had a great family. A small family, but nevertheless, I thought we were close. 'Till I found out that they'd been lying to me my whole life," I shrugged. "Finding out that your parents let some terrorists put you in a prison labor camp kind of puts a damper on your 'great' relationship."

Cammie tilted her head slightly. "Yeah… I guess it would. But it's not been all fun and games for me either," she said softly. "The past few years have pretty much been a big game between us and the Circle. They'd attack, try and get me. We'd build up protection, retaliate. Over and over again. I still don't know what they want me for." She paused and turned to look at me. "But you're right. I'm very lucky to have had my family and friends surrounding me, helping me through it. And I'm sorry about your family. But you have us now. We're here for you." She finished, smiling at me comfortingly. We stood there for a bit longer, enjoying the moment, the new friendship we'd discovered.

"Thanks Cam," I whispered. In a silent, unanimous decision, we started exploring again. We ended up in a small room made of stone. It looked like an old forgotten lounge with a couch and a chair set up against one of the walls. I sat down on the couch beside Cammie, looking around the room with interest. We started talking, and the conversation soon wound around to the Circle once again.

"You were really there for eight months?"

"Yep. Worst eight months of my life. Let me tell you, there's nothing better than spending your 18th birthday in a terrorist prison," I said dryly. We laughed, somewhat humorlessly. "But," I added as a tentative afterthought, "They didn't torture me or anything unless I did something they didn't like. So I'm luckier than some."

Cammie went still. She pulled her legs up on the couch, hugging her knees.

"If you want to talk about it…" I left the sentence hanging in the air, the elephant in the room. There was an awkward silence that came along with it. I was opening my mouth to change the subject when Cammie beat me to the punch.

"They caught me in Washington. I was doing some research on Ioseph Cavan. Did what I could, but there were so many of them," she buried her face in her arms, her voice coming out muffled. "They took me, tied me up, knocked me out. I kept fighting, but more agents just kept coming. They stuck me in a big dark room for three days. No light, no food, nothing. Then Zach's mother came." Cammie lifted up her head and stared into space. Her face was void of any emotion, a blank stare. I pulled her over and gave her a hug, trying my best to comfort her. I knew what she had gone through to some extent. They had done the same to me, just not near as hard or long. She willingly leaned against me, laid her head on my shoulder, and continued.

"They had me for another two months. Used all sorts of…tactics," she winced, "trying to get me to talk. Then they moved me to the prison camp. Let me go without a guard for the first time in two months. Their mistake," Cammie sat up straighter and gave a dry, humorless laugh. "I never even knew what they wanted. I'm still not sure why they're after me."

"Well, in all honesty," I pulled away far enough to look at her, "I'm not entirely convinced that they're sane." She nodded and leaned back against my shoulder.

"What'd you do to keep from going crazy for eight months?"

"I'm not really sure. I worked a lot. Did whatever I could to keep busy, keep my mind off things. That's why they left you with me, I think. I worked hard. They trusted me. I wasn't ever loyal to them, and I was purposely rude to every one of them. But I was the only one there who worked, so they left you with me. I guess. That's the only thing that makes sense when it comes to them leaving you alone with me, no guards. They did give me a pretty tough warning…_threat_… though. And I used the trust when I could. I helped people get out of the base without the Circle knowing. That was the only good part of being stuck there for eight months." I clenched my jaw tightly, remembering.

Cammie looked up at me. "Thank you."

"For what?" I raised my eyebrows questioningly.

"For talking. I love all my friends, but it's nice to have a close friend who understands…everything. Everything I've seen and gone through this summer." She leaned over and gave me a hug that I willingly returned.

"Same here. It's nice to have a friend again after all those months. And thanks for bringing me here... Now, enough of this emotional sappy stuff!" I whispered excitedly. "Let's go do something spy-like. I'm ready for my training!"

Cammie laughed and started to lean back out of the hug. We both heard the shuffling sound of someone's footsteps at the same whipped around before me, hers eyes widening. She slid out from under my shoulder and gasped, "Zach!"

* * *

**A/N: Gasp! Zach! Hehe… No worries Zammie lovers! Zach will be making his Grand Appearance in the next chapter! Yayyyy! (Sorry for the abrupt ending... I am reallllly busy this weekend, and I had to cut it off somewhere!)  
**

** Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter… Please leave a review and let me know what you're thinking!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So sorry for the long wait! I had some serious writer's block on this one... Hope you guys like it! It's a bit shorter than most of the other chapter's, but the next chapters will be longer. Anyway, hope you like it!**

* * *

(Cammie POV)

I nimbly hopped off the couch and stared at Zach. I was unsure of what to say to him. He stood there in front of me, his face an unreadable mask. I heard Kyle walk up behind me. I turned to look at him.

"You want me to go?" He whispered almost silently, staring at Zach skeptically. I nodded my head hesitantly, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"Will you be ok?" He continued. I could tell that he was unsure about leaving me alone with Zach.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We'll start training tomorrow morning?" He smiled at my response, nodded his head, and walked back through the tunnel. I started to turn around towards Zach, and then paused. I ran back over to the passageway.

"Kyle?" He stopped and turned, raising his eyebrows at me. "Um, Do you know how to get out?" He laughed.

"I'll have to figure it out eventually. I'll find it," He continued on down the tunnel. I turned around once again, reluctantly meeting Zach's eyes. He looked sad, frustrated. I felt my hands twisting together in front of me nervously. We stood there awkwardly for a moment. I waited silently for Zach to say something, my frustration increasing when he didn't. Finally fed up, I took a step toward him, my arms crossed in front of me.

"Zach, will you please just say something?" I whispered. I could almost feel the aggravation radiating from him. I steeled myself for an outburst. I wasn't disappointed.

"How could you do that? Why did you run away without me?!" Zach burst out, clearly trying not to yell in my face. He turned around in frustration. I watched silently as he ran both his hands through his hair, putting all his anger into that one motion. "What made you up and decide to just leave?" He turned back to face me, searching my face for answers.

"I was trying to keep everyone from getting hurt. Everyone was getting hurt because of me," I heard my voice start to rise. "They were all getting hurt because of me! Do you understand that, Zach? Do you know how that feels? Have you ever thought about how you might react if you were the cause of all of it?! This whole situation with the Circle was affecting everyone I know! You, Mr. Solomon, Aunt Abby, Macey! So yeah, I ran away. I was trying to keep you all safe. I was trying to keep YOU safe, Zach!" I paused for a moment, trying to catch my breath. I felt the fight drain out of me. My voice lowered back down to a whisper. "I just wanted to stop hurting everyone."

"Well, it didn't work," Zach's voice had gotten quieter also. "Everyone hurt even more when you left, Cam. Remember when Macey ran away? Remember how helpless you felt when she was gone? That wasn't anywhere near as bad as we felt earlier this summer!" He stepped closer to me, until he was less than a foot away. "I grew up in the Circle Gallagher Girl. That base in Milwaukee that you were caught in? I've been stuck in there before. My mother doesn't exactly have the same rules of discipline that normal parents have. I know exactly how they operate, what they do to agents that they capture. And I went crazy this summer, hoping they didn't have you." He finished closing the space between us, pulling me into his arms. I hugged him as close as I could, just wanting everything to go back to the way it was before I left. We stood there for a long time afterwards. Finally I pulled back to look Zach in the eyes.

"I missed you," I said softly. He smiled.

"I missed you too, Gallagher Girl." He grabbed on to my hand as we turned and walked back through the tunnels, never once letting me go.

-:-:-:-

I walked into my room several hours later for the first time since I had left. It was completely empty, with everyone being in classes. I didn't have to go back to classes just yet. Technically, I wasn't even supposed to be out of the infirmary yet. I walked over to my bed and lay down on it. I closed my eyes and willed my body to relax. And I finally felt myself slipping off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: I'll try my best to update by Monday... Hope you guys enjoyed it!  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Updated! :) Hope you like it!**

* * *

(Cammie POV)

I heard a door open, the scraping sound very distinctive in the small square room. Heavy footsteps came towards me, seconds before I felt strong arms grab me by the arms and lift me into the air. I suppressed a whimper as the agent's steel grip clamped even tighter around my already-bruised arms. Thrashing around, I forced my eyes open as I was pulled out of the room and down a long hallway. The black-clad agent dragged me into a large white room. I cried out hazily as the bright surgical spotlights glared down on me and struggled even more as I was secured to a sterile metal table. Several people wandered around the room with clipboards, scribbling down frantically as dozens of thin wires were attached to me. The wires flowed from a large white machine in the corner. I lashed out at a woman attempting to adjust a wire on my arm. I was rewarded in turn with several more agents strapping my arms and legs to the table.

"There's no need to struggle Cammie. Just talk to me willingly, and I will make this all go away," Zach's mother said calmly. She strode over to the white machine and began to fiddle with the dials and screens covering it. She smirked and turned to face me. "No? All right then." She pressed a big white button confidently. I heard a crackle and then bit back a scream as a white-hot electric pain coursed through my body. She began rapidly firing questions once again, upping the voltage every time I ignored her. I finally gave in and screamed as loud as I could, arching my back in agony. The questions continued until I passed out, only to be awoken again by a large splash of cold water. I saw Mrs. Goode yelling at me, but I couldn't hear her. I shook and screamed over and over and over again as she kept her hand pressed down on the button, each surge worse than the last.

"Cammie!" My arms flailed around, smacking into my restraints. More fingers wrapped around my arms, shaking me frantically.

"Cammie!" I shook the fingers away and screamed louder.

"NO!" My voice was getting hoarse. I felt myself shaking as pain coursed through my body.

"Gallagher Girl! Wake up!" I slightly slowed down my flailing as I felt arms gently wrapping around my shoulders. I forced my eyes open once again, blinking dully as they adjusted to the lack of light in the room. I focused in on the person in front of me, taking in a shaky breath as I saw Zach's concerned expression.

"Z-Zach?" I stuttered, trying to breathe deeply, but failing miserably. I grabbed onto his arms that were still wrapped around me, clutching them like a lifeline as I tried to calm myself down. He rubbed my back comfortingly, a scared look still evident on his face.

"Nightmare?" He asked the obvious quietly. I nodded, finally calming down. Then, looking around for the first time, I realized where we were. I was sitting next to Zach, huddled in a dark corner of my favorite passageway. My arms were bruised and bleeding, scratched from me hitting the brick wall in my nightmare. I had re-opened old wounds, wounds that Mrs. Goode had given me. I sat up straighter and leaned my head against Zach. I sat there silently with him for a moment, listening to his heartbeat.

"I'm so sorry Cammie," He spoke almost inaudibly. I leaned away from him, just enough to look into his face.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked, bemused. Zach looked away.

"Zach, you didn't cause this," I said softly. "I don't blame you for any of it. You aren't like your mother at all." I stood up slowly. "I'd better get back to bed. I start classes tomorrow." I gave him a hug and left the passageway. Through the Grand Hall and down the hallway leading to our rooms. I paused a moment outside our door, took a breath, and walked in. Bex, Liz and Macey were lying in their beds sleeping. I lay back down under the covers of my bed.

*_4 hours later*_

SPLASH! I jerked up out of bed to see an angry Bex standing over me with a bucket.

"What was that for?!" I yelled.

"I've been standing here trying to get you to wake up for 15 minutes!" Bex yelled back. She crossed her arms over her chest defensively, still holding the bucket. I wiped the water from my eyes and wrung out my hair. The familiar sight of Bex with an empty bucket made me want to smile.

"I'm up! I'm. Up!" I enunciated dramatically. Bex twisted around with a huff and left to get ready for breakfast. I threw back the covers and put on my uniform as quickly as I could, then followed Bex out the door. I caught up to her a few moments later. She walked stiffly, not meeting my gaze. I stopped and grabbed her elbow.

"I'm sorry Bex," I said quietly. "I'm sorry I left without you. Without talking to you. I was just trying to make all…_this_," I waved my arms around in the air, "stop." I waited for a response. I was not given one. "Bex," I tried again, "I PROMISE, the next time a large terrorist organization tries to kidnap one of us, you can decide how we handle it!" I pulled a smile out of her.

"Next time?" Bex began walking again. "There better not be a bloody next time!" I smiled in relief. We entered the Grand Hall, got our food, and sat down at our table for breakfast. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kyle walk in the room. All of the girls noticed and the Hall fell silent for a moment before tons of whispered murmurs rose up. Kyle ducked his head and hurried over to get some food. He grabbed a tray, and started to leave. He passed our table as he did so, his head ducked down to avoid the inevitable stares pointed his way. I stopped him with a call.

"Kyle! Sit here." I patted the seat beside me, feeling Zach tense up on my other side. I ignored him. Bex and Macey exchanged amused glances. Kyle sat down and started eating.

"Thanks," He said gratefully. I smiled while simultaneously sending a strong glare over towards Tina, who was sitting and staring with her mouth hanging wide open. She snapped it shut and turned away, a red blush covering her face.

"Sooo…" I started to fix the silence. "What's up?" No one answered. I turned to Tina. "Come on, Tina," I coaxed. "I know something big must be happening somewhere." She sat up straight with a gasp.

"Oh! Cammie, you'll never believe what happened!" She began prattling on about…okay I have no idea what it was about. I tuned her out, I'll admit. Most of us did. But I snapped back to attention a moment later.

"-Winters! And Emily Lane's parents just went MIA in Vanuatu! No one has seen them for 53 hours!" Tina paused for a split second to take in a quick breath and I jumped in.

"Wait!" Every head at the table turned towards me. I leaned forward. "What did you just say?"

Tina frowned, insulted that I hadn't been paying close attention. She started again slowly. "Emily Lane. Her parents are-" I interrupted once again.

"No, about the Winters!"

"Oh, Ambassador Winters is coming to Roseville! His whole family is!" Tina began chattering once again, but I couldn't hear her any more. My mind started racing, thinking back to those two months I was trapped with the Circle. My eyes found Macey's. I looked at her and watched as apprehension covered her face.

"Cam," She started, "Is it-" She stopped mid-sentence. I nodded slowly, knowing instinctively what she was going to ask. "It's Preston. Preston's in trouble."

* * *

**A/N: *:o) Ok! Thanks for reading! Please leave me a review an let me know what you think!  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Here's chapter 12! My gift to you guys: a long chapter! It's the longest one I've written yet! So, anywho, Enjoy! :**

* * *

(Cammie POV)

I jumped up from the table and raced out of the Grand Hall. The rest of the gang followed and found me pacing in a small hallway a few feet away. I blocked them all out, all of the background noise and frantic conversation as Bex and Liz tried to calm Macey down. What had Mrs. Goode said? I leaned my forehead against the brick wall, straining to think back and remember. She had been upset. James, the agent hired to do her dirty work, had gone too far, gotten a little too excited. I almost died that day. I was placed in a rundown infirmary with yet another machine hooked up to my body monitoring me. Everything was so fuzzy…

..:: l| _FLASHBACK_ |l ::..

_-Almost killed her…..I need her alive…hasn't broken yet. Stubborn_

_Beep…. Beep…. Beep….._

_Like her father… lights swirling, fuzzy voices…_

_Beep…. Beep…. Beep…_

_Whispers… Roseville… Ambassador Winters visiting…_

_Beep… Beep… Beep….._

_Get the boy. Preston. Roseville…Bring him to me._

_Beep… Beep… … … …_

_She's flatlining! Get Doctor-_

… … …_Beep… … … …..Beep… Beep._

_Get the boy. Get the boy. __**Get the boy-**_

..:: l| _REALITY_ |l ::..

I pushed myself away from the wall and turned to face my friends. Grant and Jonas had joined them at this point. They were all standing in a group arguing, but I wasn't quite sure what about. Bex had Grant in a headlock, squeezing harder every time he yelled at her. Macey was in a heated argument with Zach, both of them pointing and waving their arms wildly around. And Liz was standing silently next to Jonas. They looked torn between laughing and running.

"Should we do something?" I heard Liz mumble to Jonas. He shrugged. "What would we do?"

I watched in amusement a moment more as Grant passed out and fell to the floor. Bex looked like she was close to grabbing Zach next. I decided I should intervene soon.

"Guys." Talking to a brick wall. "Guys." I sighed in frustration. I didn't want to resort to these tactics, but…

"HEYYYYYYYYYYY!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. That got their attention. I smirked.

"What the heck is going on?" I asked incredulously. Grant came to, moaning and rubbing his neck. Bex smiled proudly.

"Cammie, what do you mean 'Preston's in trouble'?" Macey burst out. "You can't just let a little bit of info like that out and then LEAVE!"

"I'll explain everything later, after classes. We'll meet in our room," I said quietly, subtly looking towards the groups of girls sailing out of the Grand Hall. Macey nodded. We split up in groups and went to our classes.

-:-:-:-

"Okay," I began again after classes, once we were behind closed doors. We had taken temporary refuge inside our room and collapsed in various spots on the floor. I sat against my bed, with Zach on my left and Macey staring daggers on my right. Bex was lying on her bed, hanging off the edge so she was upside down. Liz, Jonas, and Kyle were all across from me.

"A few weeks ago I overheard a conversation between Zach's mom and James." Zach's face was blank. To everyone else in the room he looked completely normal. But when I said "James" I felt him tense up, saw the pain in his eyes. I took a breath and told myself to water it down. "It was a whispered conversation, and I didn't hear all of it. But I remember a few key phrases. 'Roseville. Ambassador Winters visiting. Preston…..Get the boy. Bring him to me.' That's all I overheard. But it's enough. Ambassador Winters isn't an agent of the Circle, but he IS affiliated with them. They're planning on taking Preston while he's here." I sat back and watched the varying reactions pass over my friends faces. Kyle looked mildly confused. Macey, angry. Grant, Liz, and Jonas were sitting quietly. But it was Bex who worried me. Bex looked….excited? I eyed her nervously. "Bex?" I asked. She looked up at me, not even attempting to look innocent.

"All right guys! What are we waiting for?" She hopped off the bed and walked over to her closet. "Let's go kick some bloody Circle butt!" Bex kneeled down and started rummaging, tossing random items behind her. Liz ducked as a crowbar whizzed over her head and collided with Grant's stomach. My hand flew out and caught a large hot glue gun seconds before it hit Kyle's head.

"Bex!" Macey called, diving to the side to avoid all Bex's equipment raining through the air. Bex stopped momentarily and looked up, holding two coils of black rope, a blowtorch, Napotine patches, and a box of uncooked spaghetti. "We have to have a PLAN, Bex! We can't just go running around randomly!"

"Macey's right. We'll figure out which toys we'll bring later. First we need to research and plan" I looked towards Liz and Jonas. They simultaneously smiled and looked towards each other. Bex instantly looked bored, letting her gear drop back down to the floor in front of the closet. Liz grabbed her laptop and started searching, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"They'll be here in 13 days, on the 19th," Liz said, her eyes never leaving the screen. I nodded thoughtfully.

"Well that gives us some time to plan," Grant said, having just gotten his breath back a moment before.

"Why do they want him?" Kyle spoke up suddenly. Everyone looked at him in surprise. "Why do they want this 'Preston' guy?" I paused, dumbfounded. Never really thought about it.

"I don't know," I said slowly. "Do you, Zach?"

Zach's forehead wrinkled, his face thoughtful as he thought for a moment. "…No clue."

I'll admit, for a moment, I was _really, __**really**_ tempted to rub that in his smug little face. A lot. But I'm a bigger person than that. So I refrained. Barely. But I consoled myself by temporarily stealing his smirk.

"Well, let's face it. The Circle is not exactly known for their tendency to let us know what they want," I said dryly. I straightened up and decided to take charge. Turned back to Liz. "Okay, we're gonna need details on their visit. Their itinerary, detailed information on the places that they will be staying at or visiting. Blueprints of the buildings and background histories of everyone near them." Liz smiled excitedly and nodded as fast as she could. She hopped nimbly to her feet and walked out of the room with Jonas right behind her.

I turned to Macey. "You can be our disguise queen. Find us lots of disguises and costumes." Macey got a very scary glint in her eye, running off before I could stop her. "_Appropriate _disguises and costumes!" I yelled after her. Zach smirked. I glared.

"Once Liz and Jonas figure all of that out, we'll have to figure out what our next move is." I looked over towards Kyle skeptically. "And we'll have to double up on your training." He smiled bravely, looking slightly nervous at the same time. Zach looked over toward Kyle. I elbowed him in the side under his ribcage, effectively wiping the smirk off his face.

-:-:-:-

_Two Days Later, (Saturday, September 8__th__)_

"Okay!" I spread my feet for balance and crossed my arms over my chest. I was standing in the P&E barn with Kyle and Zach. We were on a mission to continue Kyle's training and turn him into a spy in less than two weeks. "We'll start out easy. For warm-up, we're going to start by running 7 miles." I ignored the look of unease that quickly appeared on Kyle's face. "We'll go slow!" I promised brightly. We started off at a snail's pace, but I quickly sped us up, encouraging him to run as fast as he could. In the end….We'll just say that running is not his strength. We ran back to the barn. I stood calmly with Zach while Kyle panted, discussing what to work on next.

"What's he good at?" Zach asked.

"I don't know!" I huffed. "I only knew him for like a day before we came here!... Wait a second." I paused, feeling an imaginary light bulb blink on over my head as I remembered that day. "He's really good at Kajukenbo!" I whispered excitedly. "He took agents down almost as quickly as I did!" We nodded in agreement. Hand-to-hand combat was up next. I started first. We sparred for a little while, practicing. I taught him dozens of new techniques, and he caught on quickly. I bowed out a while later, sitting back and watching Zach and Kyle fight. They kept at it for a while. It was amusing to say the least.

"You're pretty good," Kyle ducked a punch and sent an uppercut toward Zach's face. Zach sidestepped it easily, sending a roundhouse kick back in retaliation. His foot connected with Kyle's chest. Kyle fell down hard, but jack-knifed to his feet instantly. Kyle faked a punch to Zach's right side, surprising Zach with a hard punch to the gut instead. They stopped for a moment and stood there.

"You aren't horrible," Zach deadpanned. I rolled my eyes. Boys…. I hopped to my feet.

"All right guys, I'm going back to my room." I headed back inside the school. Walking back to my room, I made a detour to Mom's office. I knocked softly on her door.

"Mom?" I called as the door swung open. She wasn't there. I walked inside and sat on her couch for a moment, looking around. I hadn't fully realized how much I missed being in here with her. I smiled, comforted by the room. Glancing to the side, I saw a picture of us. It had been taken right earlier this spring. I hadn't ever seen it in her office before though. I stood up restlessly and walked over to her desk. A thought suddenly occurred to me. I bent over and looked under her desk in the secret drawer that she kept her files in. I pulled it out and found the picture and files that I had taken from the Circle base. I realized just then that I'd never actually looked at them. They both had the same outer label: _Gallagher_. I opened up the first one. It was a file on me, everything the Circle had compiled about me. I glanced through it. They didn't have anything important on me. I looked over to the second file and frowned. This one was on Ioseph Cavan. It had the wrong label on it. I flipped through it. There wasn't much there that I didn't already know. I was about to put it back into the drawer, when something caught my eye. A family tree. I read the names listed. It wasn't until I got to the end that my breathing increased.

Andrew Cavan. Edward Cavan. Thomas Cavan. Elizabeth Cavan-Winters. Timothy Winters. _Winters?!_

My eyes widened. Preston was Ioseph Cavan's descendant?!

* * *

**A/N: CLIFFIE! sorry :) please leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So sorry for the long wait! I've had so much trouble with my school (PreCalc is the worst EVER!), so I haven't had much time to write :( Also MegzTheDino pointed out that I messed up my description of the tunnel in chapter 1 (Thank you!), So I went back and fixed it. But anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for some of the wait!**

* * *

I shoved the files back in the hidden drawer and shut it roughly. My mind started reeling. I should have seen it, should have figure out why they asked me so many questions about Preston and Macey. Preston is Ioseph Cavan's descendant and Macey is Gilly's! I walked out of the office, shutting the door behind me. I wandered the halls of my school, my mind racing, twisting in a dozen different directions. What did they want with us? What did they think we knew? There had to be a connection there, something that connected me with Macey and Preston. I thought harder and began pacing. Ioseph Cavan and Gilly Gallagher had been enemies. Gilly had been a threat to the Circle, had started a school that threatened everything the Circle worked for. My Dad had been working on taking down the leaders of the Circle, now, almost 150 years later. He must have figured something out, something vital and important. My thoughts were abruptly interrupted and I heard a slight shuffling sound. I looked up and realized for the first time where I was. I had apparently followed the pigeons, walked to the room I had been led to back when Joe was missing, before he was out in a coma. The crates were still lying all over the room, the chalkboard still covered with the mysterious language that Joe and my Dad had come up with. I stopped pacing and let out a huff.

"I know you're there," I said to the almost empty room. "You're getting sloppy." I winced as soon as the words left my mouth, remembering what had happened the last time those words were spoken. Only, the last time, I had been listening to those words, not speaking them. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Zach step out of the shadows. I turned and walked over to the window. I felt him walk up behind me moments later.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly. Was I that transparent? Could he really see past my façade that easily?

"Nothing's wrong," I spoke slowly, not really sure who I was trying to convince. He stared me down, his gaze penetrating all my defenses. I sighed.

"Am I really that obvious?" I asked glumly. He smiled. Smiled! I took a step back and gasped.

"Only to me," He noticed my expression. "What?"

"You…you… _smiled_!" I opened my mouth and acted surprised. He rolled his eyes at my antics and shook his head.

"I've smiled before!" He brushed off my surprise. I shook my head emphatically.

"No. You've teased, laughed, frowned, and smirked. You've definitely smirked. _A lot_," I stressed the last word. "But I have never, ever seen you smile!"

Zach cocked his head. "I think you're exaggerating. Seriously though, what's wrong?"

"Everything was so hectic when Mom came to Milwaukee in the helicopter," I hesitated slightly and looked up at Zach. "Were you there? I remember… eyes. Green eyes." I waited for an answer, staring into those exact green eyes that I had missed so much.

"Yeah, I came with your mom. You passed out right after I got out of the helicopter though."

"Right, okay. So anyway, when I was in the base, I found two files on our school. I didn't have time to study them because of…well I was interrupted. But anyway, I brought them back, but I was unconscious. To be honest, I pretty much forgot about them. But I went by my mom's office just now, and I found them." I paused for a breath. Zach waited patiently for me to continue. "They were labeled '_Gallagher'_. One of the files was on me. Everything the Circle had on me was in that file. It actually didn't have that much in it. I was kinda disappointed honestly. But the other file… It was a list. A family tree. It was Ioseph Cavan's line!"

Zach's brow furrowed. "I don't get it, Cam." I took a step back and folded my arms.

"Well then, let me finish!" I huffed, faking irritation. He smirked, gesturing for me to continue. I sighed. I should've known the smiling wasn't going to last.

"At the end of the line, one of Cavan's grandchildren had a girl. Only a girl. So her name was obviously changed when she got married. There weren't any more people with Cavan for a last name. And the granddaughter? She married Bradley Winters." I finally finished, watching Zach's reaction. It was not impressive. He blinked.

"That's it? I let you in on this big secret, this massive new clue, and you _BLINK?!_" I poked him hard in the chest. He grabbed my finger.

"Okay, fine! How's this?" Zach took a deep breath and opened his eyes wide. "WHAT! CAMMIE! THAT IS INCREDIBLE NEWS! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT PRESTON IS RELATED TO IOSEPH CAVAN!" He settled back down and smirked. "Better?" I smacked his arm.

"You don't have to spaz out on me! I just want to know what you think." I put my hands on my hips. He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the door.

"I think we need to tell everyone else."

-:-:-:-

We split up in the Grand Hallway.

"I'll get Liz, Jonas, and Kyle. You get Bex, Grant, and Macey," I glanced at him for confirmation. "Okay?" He nodded.

-:-:-:-

I walked down to Liz's favorite science lab. It was the room I always looked in first when I was looking for Liz. I was halfway there when I felt the ground shaking slightly. I frowned in confusion and threw out my arms for balance. Then I heard an explosion. _**BOOM!**_ I ran the rest of the way and threw open the lab door. I saw Jonas first, standing behind a lab table. His dark hair was sticking up in all directions and he had thick white powder all over the front of him. He whipped off his goggles and blinked groggily. I suppressed a smile. His whole face was completely white, except for two small circles around his eyes and a few scorch marks. He looked like the stereotypical mad scientist. I shook my head in disbelief. I looked around and then saw Liz. She was standing across the row from Jonas, at a lab table of her own. There were test tubes strewn all over the table. Most of them had fallen over. I felt my jaw drop as I got a good look at her lab table. It was…changing colors? I resisted the urge to rub my eyes, settling for a lot of blinking instead.

"Liz? What did you do to your table?" I walked over toward her and stared at it. It was bright neon pink at the moment. She looked down at her workspace in surprise, then excitement.

"It worked!" She hopped up and down happily. Then she turned and gave Jonas a mock glare. "I wasn't going to test it yet, Jonas! It's too early! I was still studying the possible side effects." I gave Liz a confused look and waited for her to explain. "When Jonas's explosion went off, it knocked my test tubes over and they splashed everywhere. I wasn't ready to test it out."

"Riiight. So…WHY is it turning colors?" I poked the table tentatively. She pulled away and stared down raptly.

"I was studying Chameleons," She blushed. "They're fascinating! They can change color so easily, whenever they want. I was trying to duplicate the process. It would be so helpful for camouflage! Especially for you, Cam! You are the chameleon, after all. Imagine how cool it would be if you could step into the shadows, _and turn black!_" Liz got excited, flinging her hands up into the air. She knocked over the remaining test tubes, sending them flying through the air. And where did they land? Yeah, on me! I jumped back as the liquid splashed all over me.

"…Oopsie Daisy?"

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes slowly, resisting the urge to look at my skin. "Liz…What side effects?"

"Umm… Well, I'm not exactly sure yet? It hasn't…um…hasn't been tested. Yet."

My eyes flickered up toward the ceiling and then, against my will, glanced down at my skin. My _blue_ skin. "Liz! How long does this stuff last!?"

She shrugged. "I guess we'll find out." I then remembered why I was here in the first place and turned back to Jonas. He was standing there stock still, whiter than a ghost.

"You okay?"

He looked down at the test tubes in front of him and cocked his head. "Yes, I'm fine."

"All right, good. I came to get you guys because we're all meeting up in our room. We have news on Preston. Important info."

We left the science lab right afterwards, despite Liz's protests, and headed back towards our room. I stomped into the room and saw that Zach had already gathered everyone else. I felt someone staring at me and looked up in frustration. Zach, Macey, Bex, Grant, and Kyle were looking at me strangely.

"What?" They all looked at each other. Bex spoke up first.

"Uh, Cam? Why are you… Green?" I glared at Liz.

"Liz decided to turn me into _a chameleon!_" I heard a laugh and whipped around to glare at Zach and his stupid smirk. Of course, my glare did nothing to the smirk except make it bigger. Macey got a horrified look on her face and she whirled on Liz.

"Liz! How long will it last? Do you know how hard it was to get Cam's skin looking that good in the first place? I can only do so much!" She fell back on the floor and lay there dramatically.

"Anyway guys, I found out some interesting news about Preston." Macey quickly sat back up, momentarily forgetting about my rainbow skin. I looked over toward Kyle. "Those files we found at the base? I was looking through them and I found a paper on Ioseph Cavan. His family tree. Preston is his descendant."

* * *

**A/N: Okay.. I had to stop there... Sort of a fill-in chapter, but we're getting to the action-y part of the story! We should get there within the next chapter or so. I hope you guys liked it! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Also, I was thinking about finding a beta to help with my characters (canon stuff)... Any thoughts? If you know of someone who is good with that, or if you're a beta yourself, please let me know! Thanks!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Chapter 14! Awesome! Ok, really quick, before you completely ignore this Author's Note (Because I'm sure ya'll get tired of reading every single one), please make sure you read the one at the end of the chapter! VERY IMPORTANT! **

**And now, on a completely unrelated note, Just Dance 4 came out! It's sooooo much fun! I've been playing it for the past two days! (Be warned though, If you play the Extreme version of the One Direction song. At the end of the song, you're supposed to fall on your knees... Do not slam to your knees as hard as you can, four times in a row! You will regret it :/ - bruised knees... I get just a _little_ too excited when I play Just Dance ;D )  
**

**Okay! Enjoy:  
**

* * *

(Cammie POV)

Macey looked stunned. She stared at me hesitantly.

"H-his descendant?" She cocked her head and squinted her eyes. "So, If they want him-" Her eyes suddenly grew wide again. "Does that mean they want me too? Why would they want Preston? He doesn't even know about Gallagher or Blackthorne, or any of this!" She threw her arms out, gesturing around the room and smacking Kyle in the face at the same time. He jerked, unprepared for the impact. Macey turned toward him, her fingers going to touch his face. "Ooh! I'm sorry Kyle! Are you okay?"

He sat up straighter, a slight grin on his face. "Yeah, I'm good. Very good." Macey smiled at him and slowly moved her hand away. I stared at the two of them suspiciously.

"Should we tell Joe?" Liz piped up uncertainly. Kyle looked up and tensed. I gave him a questioning look.

"Joe already knows," Zach inserted, immediately grabbing my attention. "Joe and Mrs. Morgan have the file. I'm pretty sure they've read it and de-coded it a few billion times already."

Nodding thoughtfully, I answered Macey's questions. "Macey, I don't know why they would want Preston. And I'm not sure if they want you or not." I felt something rubbing against my right arm. I looked over and saw Liz sitting next to me. She had a colored chart in one hand and a pH strip in the other. She was holding the strip up to my now purple skin and comparing them both, her eyes squinted in concentration. I pulled my arm back and leaned away from her slowly.

"Liz….." She ignored me and looked over at her laptop, showing the chart to Jonas. "LIZ!" That got her attention. "I am not an experiment!"

She frowned at me reproachfully. "But, Cam, you're the first living person I've tested it on! I need to study this!" I squinted at her. _Living_ person? Had she been experimenting on _non-living_ people? I slowly inched away from her, but it didn't deter Liz at all. "Cam! Stop moving!" She sighed. "Here, help me out with this. Turn black!"

I stared at her. "I can't just _turn_ black! I can't control it!"

"Sure you can! Come one, just try to turn black! Think about-I don't know- being all chameleon-y! It's what you do!"

I sighed and thought for a moment about blending in with the shadows. "Liz, this is pointless." My skin instantly turned a smoky shade of black. Huh. How bout that. Liz got so excited I thought she was going to have a conniption.

"Jonas! Look! It works!" Liz and Jonas instantly turned to their twin laptops, typing furiously and whispering excitedly to each other.

"Hello!" Macey yelled. "Can we please get back to the important stuff now?"She waited for Liz and Jonas to calm down and look toward us again. "Thank you! Have you found out where they're staying yet?"

Liz consulted her notebook. "They're staying at that 5 star hotel down by the mall. The Sibyllin Hotel."

Macey nodded approvingly. "Good. So what's on their agenda? Do you know yet?"

"It hasn't been posted anywhere online. I know the general stuff that the public knows, like the two public outings they're going on. But that's it."

"Hey, Macey, why don't you just call Preston and ask him?" I spoke up as the idea came to me. Macey nodded slowly.

"That would work. I'll do it Monday, on our trip to Roseville with Joe."

Kyle suddenly sat up and looked toward me intently. "We're going on a trip to Roseville with Joe?" I nodded in affirmation, deciding at that moment to find out what was making Kyle act so odd when Joe was mentioned.

-:-:-:-

I walked through the school searching for Kyle. He had left the room earlier without a backward glance. I scanned the hallways as I went. It shouldn't be too difficult to find him, I reasoned. He was one of four boys in an all girls school. I caught a glimpse of him turning the corner and sped up. He looked out of place in the hallway, standing a good 6 inches above most of the people near him.

"Kyle! Wait up!" I sprinted down the hall towards him, ignoring all the odd glances thrown my way. I wondered absently what everyone was staring at. Kyle slowed for a moment and waited for me. I reached out to touch his shoulder and recoiled when I saw my graying skin. The chameleon effect was wearing off, the midnight blackness of my skin slowly fading away. I whirled around and looked at a large mirror hanging on the opposite wall. I saw a strange corpse-like person, faded graying skin and brown hair, wide eyes. My jaw dropped.

"I look like a corpse!" I shrieked. I saw Kyle walk up behind me in the mirror, his mouth twitching.

"Well…..A beautiful corpse?" He tried. I shook my head at him.

"There is absolutely nothing you can do to make 'corpse' sound like a compliment." I smiled. "But the effort was cute. Thanks." I looked away from the mirror and saw Tina headed toward me. I grabbed Kyle's arm and pulled him along behind me as I quickly headed towards the nearest hidden passageway. "Hurry!" I hissed. "Tina's coming, and I am NOT explaining _this_!" I stressed the word, gesturing to my skin. I grabbed a wall sconce on a wall and yanked on it, slipping into the tiny opening that popped open as a result. I turned around once I was in there and saw Kyle looking at me warily. He looked as if he was contemplating my sanity. I rolled my eyes and yanked him through the small hole right as it began to click shut. We walked for a short period of time without saying anything. I guided us through the maze of tunnels beneath the school, heading back to that abandoned lounge where we had talked last time.

"Y'know," Kyle's voice broke into the silence. "Every time I see you, you're yanking me into a secret hidden tunnel of some sort."

I stopped. "Your point?"

He shrugged, stopping with me. "Just an observation."

"Well, if I recall correctly-and I usually do- a couple of times I've done that, I've saved your life."

Kyle started walking again. He smiled sheepishly. "Touché."

"Besides, it's nice to have a place you can steal away to when the whole world is going crazy. Trust me," I added dryly. We finally found the room I was looking for and sat on the couch. I paused for a moment, wondering how to pose my question. I shrugged mentally, deciding I didn't really care.

"So…What's up with you and Joe?" I spoke quietly despite the fact that we were alone. Kyle's face whitened and his pupils contracted slightly. I scooted sideways to face him and leaned back against the armrest comfortably, my arms loosely crossed. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Wasn't there some reason you needed to talk to me?" He hedged. "You came running down the hallway yelling my name. I assume you did it for some other reason than pulling me into yet another passageway? What did you want to talk to me about?"

I nodded. "I wanted to ask 'What's up with you and Joe?'" Kyle paused.

"Cam, I really don't want to talk about it." He said quietly. "Can you please just respect that?"

I paused, considering. "…No." Kyle snorted in reply. "Come on, Kyle. What's up?"

He ran his left hand through his hair and sighed in defeat. He glanced at me sideways.

"All right… I'll tell you."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, here's the important author's note! **

**I have been trying to write the chapter for the past two days. I worked on it ALL DAY today. I wasn't going to cut off the chapter when I did, and you guys were going to find out about Kyle and Joe... But here's my problem: I can't make up my mind! Is Joe Kyle's dad? Uncle? Are they related at all? They aren't related, but Kyle helped Joe escape from the circle back in book four? AHHH! Too many choices!  
**

**So I decided to let ya'll decide! Please leave a review letting me know what you think should happen! Help a poor confused author make up her mind! ;) I also put up a poll on my profile, which includes the choices above ^ . Thanks soooo much! You guys are awesome!  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Yayy! This chapter is extra long, my gift as an apology for the long wait! For some awesome reason, I sat down this morning to try and write, and I just couldn't stop! (I love it when that happens!) So anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Recap:

_ "I wanted to ask 'What's up with you and Joe?'" Kyle paused._

_ "Cam, I really don't want to talk about it." He said quietly. "Can you please just respect that?"_

_ I paused, considering. "…No." Kyle snorted in reply. "Come on, Kyle. What's up?"_

_ He ran his left hand through his hair and sighed in defeat. He glanced at me sideways._

_ "All right… I'll tell you."_

(Kyle's POV)

"Joe is my uncle." I stated simply. Cammie leaned backward, her reaction hidden. Man, that girl has a great poker face.

"Your uncle?" She spoke slowly. I nodded in response, and sat there for a moment, waiting for her to say something.

"Cam?" I ventured. She smacked me in the arm, catching me off guard.

"You have to give me more than that!" Cammie exclaimed dryly. I rubbed my arm and frowned at her.

"Remember how, when we talked in here earlier, I told you about my months in the base?" Cammie nodded in affirmation. "Well, earlier this year, Joe was arrested by the CIA. But then the Circle came an-"

"Yeah, I was there," Cammie interrupted, anger momentarily flashing through her eyes. "They kept him in the tombs. He was caught in the explosion, fell into a coma. Apparently, he got out while I was gone." She wrapped her arms around her legs, her chin resting on her knees.

"Well before that, he was in Milwaukee. With me. I met him the same way I met you. I didn't know who he was, but he seemed to recognize me. There's lots of time to talk there, so I found out who he was pretty quickly. He's my mom's brother," I added as an afterthought. "That's why my last name's different. My mom's name used to be Parker Solomon until she met my Dad. She was a Gallagher Girl…She was friends with your mom. Anyway, Joe told me who he was. Said that he hasn't been in contact with my parents, but that he kept tabs on me. He knew I wasn't in on the whole spy thing. I didn't have much time to talk to him because he was only there for a few days. Then they moved him, to the tombs I guess." I finished. Cammie studied me for a moment.

"You have his eyes," she spoke almost inaudibly. I paused for a moment, giving her a questioning look. Cammie blushed. "When you were talking to me in the base, I was studying your eyes, to see if you were lying. They seemed… I don't know. Familiar maybe? They're definitely the same though. Have you talked to Joe since then? When you got here? Have you seen him?"

"I saw him for a moment when we first got here, but you were unconscious and bleeding, so it wasn't exactly the time for a nice family bonding moment. I haven't seen him since then."

"Well you'll see him on Monday when we take a trip into Roseville."

"What are we going into Roseville for?"

"Practice. It's fun!" Cammie smiled and stared at the wall behind me, her eyes unfocused. "It's been a while since I've gone on a class trip." Cammie stood up abruptly. "Come on, it's almost time to meet Zach for training in the barn."

I grinned as we walked back out of the lounge. "Hey, you don't look like ZombieCam anymore!" I bent over and gasped as her elbow connected with my stomach

-:-:-:-

_Two days later (Monday, September 10__th__)_

(Cammie's POV)

_Be waiting outside the P&E barn in 20 minutes. Dress in civilian clothes._

I walked up to Macey and Bex. We were standing with the senior class outside waiting for Mr. Solomon. There were 18 of us. Everyone was buzzing with excitement, ready to go to Roseville. Kyle followed closely behind me. He leaned close to my ear.

"Hey, Cam, what is-" Kyle's voice was drowned out by a large voice coming from across the lawn.

"Ladies!" Mr. Solomon's voice cut across the yard. He eyes flickered momentarily over Zach, Kyle, and Grant. "And… Gentlemen. Hop in!" We piled into the white van that was sitting right behind Joe. The van was covered in a large red advertisement for a local electrician's business. I slid in last and took the last seat by Zach and Macey. Well, half a seat anyway. It was pretty crammed in the 15 passenger van. I tried to make myself smaller in a vain attempt to not fall over on Zach. He smirked at me and scooted closer. I glared at him and finally gave up. Aunt Abby peeked around the driver's seat with a grin. She was dressed in navy coveralls with the name _Sharon_ stitched in cursive on the right. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and covered in a St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap. She adjusted the hat on her head as it threatened to fall.

"Ready?" She started up the minivan and pulled out of the school driveway. "Today is all about blending in." Abby tossed a handful of something back onto my lap. Comms and a few platinum credit cards. "You can use these to buy a few disguises. Don't go too crazy though." She eyed Macey in the rearview mirror. I picked the comms up off my lap and passed them to everyone. Macey snatched the cards up and held them, a weird glint in her eye. Kyle held his comms up warily and glanced at me sideways. I made a show of examining the comms and putting the device in my ear.

"Solomon is bringing the sophomore class to town in half an hour. You will each need to pick a girl and tail her. Don't let them see you. They will be looking out for tails. They'll let Solomon know if they see you and you will be called out. This should be pretty simple for you guys. Tail them until they meet up at the mall, by the food court." We all nodded affirmatively. This wasn't a test for us, it was a test for the sophomores.

We pulled into Roseville a moment later. The Rose Festival was going on, and the streets of Roseville were decorated and filled with vendors selling various homemade items, most of them covered in flowers. Mainly roses. Abby drove slowly, maneuvering through the crowds of locals and tourists. She parked behind an old dilapidated building, abandoned a long time ago. Everyone quickly filed out of the overcrowded van and headed off to the mall. Macey and Bex pulled me along. I knew that after they were done we wouldn't look anything like ourselves.

Twenty minutes later, we headed off to meet the guys, looking radically different. Bex's dark hair was now a deep red, with only a few streaks of her original color showing. She had changed into a Macey-approved outfit consisting of dark skinny jeans and a black loose fitting top. Macey had lightened her hair to a dark blonde and wore light blue contacts and a casual long sleeved dress. Bex and Macey, both, had cornered me in the large department store that, according to Macey, was "Not exactly high-end, but okay for Roseville, I guess." They eventually got me into some dark jeans, combat style boots, a long sleeved tee, and a patterned scarf. The outfit was surprisingly simple and comfortable compared to some of the contraptions Macey has forced me into over the years. My hair was now thick, wavy, and a startling midnight black. I wore contacts that made my eyes deep emerald green, not unlike Zach's. I ignored Bex and Macey snickering as I chose the color.

We found them in the food court, sitting at a table eating Chinese food. The boys hadn't really disguised themselves much at all. Kyle had finally cut his hair. It had been almost to his shoulders, long from the months in prison, and jagged, as if someone had gotten tired of its length earlier and hacked it off with a rough knife. Zach and Grant had gotten theirs styled differently, but other than that looked exactly the same.

I sat down beside Zach, swiping a Crab Rangoon as I did so.

"Hey," he complained, staring at me with a frown on his face. I bit into the food with relish, rubbing it into his face. Zach stared at me for a moment, eyebrows raised. The boys looked back and forth between the three of us, not saying a word. Finally, Kyle broke the silence, laughing. He looked up at me with a grin.

"Great disguises!" Kyle exclaimed. I smiled, then leaned over and ran my hand over his newly cut hair.

"I like it," I said approvingly. Macey nodded in agreement.

"Looks a lot better than the shaggy caveman look you had going on earlier," she teased.

I checked my brand new watch and stood up. "It's about that time guys!" We dumped the trays on the trash cans and headed out to find Joe. I made a detour on the way, stopping into a small store to buy a pre-paid phone with one of the shiny new cards. I handed it to Macey once I came back out. She trailed behind the rest of us slowly, punching in Preston's number. We watched as Joe pulled up with a minivan full of excited whispering girls. Joe set them all loose and stood back as they dispersed, walking through the streets of Roseville. A few of them stopped at the stalls along the way, successfully acting the part of local shoppers. We silently picked girls and split up, each of us walking down the road after our target. Kyle looked over at me nervously. I flashed him a thumbs up, and mouthed: _You got this! You've done this before to your parents. Never got caught!_ He nodded slowly, and continued walking.

I followed the sophomore I had picked. She was a pretty good pavement artist. Her name, if I remembered correctly, was Amy Ryan. She blended in with everyone around her, occasionally stopping to look at a handmade hat, or buy a drink. Amy was small, like Liz, but had a confidence that reminded me of Bex. I followed her easily, stopping every once in a while under the pretense of buying a bag. She made her way to the mall, stopping by Mr. Solomon with a triumphant look on her face. I watched as they talked. Solomon looked up and made eye contact with me, subtly gesturing for me to come forward. I smiled as I came forward, remembering how much I hated being on the other side of this exchange, being the one who was tailed. Thinking back to when I had gone through this with Zach at the Ruby Slippers display, I smothered a grin.

"But, Mr. Solomon! I made it here alone! I wasn't followed, honest!" Amy exclaimed. Joe shook his head.

"Ms. Ryan, this is Chameleon, the senior who successfully tailed you the whole way here." I watched as Amy's jaw dropped.

"Chameleon?! You're Chameleon!" She gaped at me, her cheeks bright red. I smiled.

"Yes. Hi, my name's Cammie."

"Amy Ryan," She managed.

"You're a very good pavement artist, Amy. Keep up the good work!" I called over my shoulder as I left out the back door. I stepped through the alley behind the mall and made my way back to meet Zach. I came to an intersection in the alley, where it connected to another back road. A shadow slid over the brick wall a few feet in front of me. I instinctively stepped back, sliding into the shadows. I peeked around the corner and caught my breath. It was James, the thug-for-hire from the base. I struggled against the flashbacks that threatened to attack, fighting to keep my breathing quiet, inaudible. James was standing in the middle of the alley, talking to a small man wearing black. Whispers echoed through the small alley, and I strained to hear what James was saying.

"-in nine days. Let your boss know. Can you handle that?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll let him know. He wants the payment upfront though."

"I'll have it. He'll get his money as long as he comes through for us," James reminded. "It's not too often that Catherine gives out opportunities like this. Keep that in mind."

Footsteps echoed as the small man walked off in the opposite direction. I froze where I was, waiting for James to leave. With another glance around, he headed off away from me. I waited for a moment, breathing out slowly. Too soon. Suddenly, I felt a hard hit to my ear, knocking the comms unit out and sending it falling to the ground.

"Y'know, Cammie, eavesdropping isn't a very healthy habit. I thought I taught you that back in the base." Two thick arms snaked around me from behind. Angry, I mentally berated myself, recognizing James's rough oily voice. I had let my guard down way too soon. His right arm trapped my arms against my side, a knife lying against my stomach. The other arm slid around my throat and held a knife against my neck, effectively cutting off my breathing. I shivered as I felt the sharp, cold metal against my skin. James slammed his foot down on the comms and twisted, grinding the device to bits.

"Habits are hard t-to break," I choked out. He squeezed tighter in response.

"Nice hair."

I tensed up, but James reacted immediately, putting on even more pressure. Dark spots danced in my vision as I fought against his grip. It was pretty useless. He was at least 300 lbs, all muscle, and had me in a nearly unbreakable hold. Nearly.

I yanked one arm out of his grip and grabbed the arm around my neck, pulling it away from me. My head now free, I attempted to dart out of his grasp. But James still had the knife against my stomach. He jabbed out with his left hand, the knife cutting right where I had been cut previously. I stumbled backwards, gasping in pain. The thug used my pain to his advantage, sending a hard punch to the side of my face and stabbing me in the right arm. I fell down to the ground, but jackknifed up, sending my heels right into his face.

-:-:-:-

(Zach's POV)

I followed one of the girls to the exhibit, quickly and easily. The girl didn't really have any idea what she was doing. Mr. Solomon introduced us, but I didn't pay any attention to them. I hadn't heard Cammie over the comms in the past few minutes. I watched as most of the seniors finished up and started walking through the streets of the festival, getting more worried by the second. I paused for a moment. I sounded like a mother. Not my mother, but one of those storybook mothers you hear about. Cammie's fine, I told myself. Stop worrying so much. But just to make sure…..

"Duchess," I asked suddenly. "Have you seen Chameleon?"

"Yeah, she just finished up tailing her target."

"'Kay, thanks." I relaxed, almost laughing at my paranoia. Cammie's just fine.

-:-:-:-

(Cammie POV)

My shoes landed against his face. I did a small flip and landed on my feet, favoring my right arm. The momentum sent James stumbling, but not enough. He caught his balance easily and grabbed me again, this time giving me no leverage.

"You're lucky, Cammie," he growled in my ear. "I'm not supposed to kill you. Yet." He slammed my head against the brick wall. I crumbled to the ground, all out of energy. I kicked my legs toward his in an attempt to knock him over. He laughed cruelly at my weak movement. It fueled my anger and I stood up again.

"I won't stop," I whispered to myself. "I'm not giving up." I sent a strong, anger fueled punch toward his stomach and a roundhouse kick into James's face a moment later. I fought back as hard as I could. Feeling adrenaline rush through me, I used a variation of the Verlam maneuver that was banned in 1947. James crumpled to the ground, paralyzed. I relaxed, knowing that the affect lasted for an hour at least. I prepared to go back out with the civilians, standing tall in an attempt at normalcy. I smoothed my hair back, straightened my clothes, and headed back out to the festival to find rope, a pencil, some uncooked spaghetti, and a Napotine patch.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked it! **

**On another random subject, I am so stinkin excited about NaNoWriMo! How many of you guys are doing it? **

**(For those of you who have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month! Google it! It's pretty much this website full of people who write an entire 50,000+ word first draft in November. You start on November 1st, and the goal it to be done with the first draft by the 30th)**

**I'm on the website, under the same username, and I'm very excited.. and worried. Because I'm planning to write an entire novel, and I don't have a single idea about what to write yet. Not one. But I will! I still have... 11 days!  
**

**So anyway, please leave a review, and let me know what you think! Thanks!  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So I've noticed that for some reason, I update on Friday nights a lot... not sure why.. I guess I have more time on Fridays... anyway.. Random thoughts aside, Chapter 16 is now finished!**

* * *

(Cammie's POV)

Ten minutes later I finished incapacitating James. He was still temporarily paralyzed, his arms tied in a Mahdoton knot-(which I knew from experience could only be undone if you were tied to a chair and stuck at least 25 feet underwater.) Despite the immobilized state of his body, he still glared up at me, making no secret of his anger. I stood up and steadied myself, pain suddenly coursing through my body as my adrenaline faded. I pulled the edge of my shirt up to look at my stomach where James had stabbed me. The sight nauseated me. I dropped the edge of my shirt and looked up at the sky, deciding to let the surgeons worry about how deep it was.

Holding my hand to the side of my head, I began to talk through my comms unit, remembering a moment later that James had pulled them out. I walked over to the corner of the rundown building where James had originally grabbed me. After scanning the ground, I finally found the small device. Unfortunately, it was broken, ground into little pieces by James's huge foot. I studied the small pieces, trying to remember the things I had learned from Liz over the years. I shook my head and dropped the pieces back to the ground. James would only be paralyzed for 45 minutes more, barely enough time to get him into custody. Or wherever MI6 decided to put him. I really didn't care as long as he was far away from me. I limped over to the end of the alley and set off to find Solomon.

I finally spotted Joe, standing in a vendor's tent with Zach. Zach stood with his hands in his pockets, relaxed, a rare smile on his face. The grin died as he caught sight of me. I straightened up and plastered a happy look on my face. Hopefully there wasn't any blood showing on my arm or stomach where I'd been stabbed. A quick look down confirmed the lack of red.

"Cammie," Zach's deep green eyes seemed to see right through my façade. "What's wrong?" What happened?" He gripped my right arm right above my wound. My mouth opened slightly as I tensed involuntarily under his touch. Zach dropped my arm quickly, looking closely at my face and arm. His fingers came up to trace a pattern on my forehead, right around where my head had landed when James had thrown me into the brick wall. "Cammie," he spoke again, quieter. This time there was a small plea in his voice. I stood there in a momentary daze, only snapping out of it when Joe stepped forward.

"I-I have an agent," I stumbled over the words, struggling. "In the alley. James."

Zach's eyes flashed with a barely controlled anger. "_James?"_ He turned and gave Joe an anguished look.

I nodded. Without adding anything else, I pivoted on my heel and slowly took the lead, assessing my injuries on the way. There was a sharp pounding in my head and, judging from the way Zach had touched me, I probably had a pretty bad gash. The wound in my arm. And James had slashed yet another gash in my stomach, almost on top of the old one.

I rounded the last corner and stood before James. He was still lying in the same position, as only twenty minutes had passed. Joe kneeled down beside the agent and searched the man's pockets, finding nothing. Zach stood beside me, tense and stiff.

Joe looked back at me. "Verlam?"

I nodded slowly. Techniques like the Verlam Maneuver weren't taught in Gallagher Academy. We were instructed that they were illegal, and our teachers gave us the back story, but we were never shown how to do them for the obvious reasons.

"What happened, Cam?" Zach seemed desperate to divert his attention from James. I had a momentary rush of sympathy for the boy standing beside me, momentarily pulling my mind off the pain that threatened to overcome me. James had put me through torture, yes. But fortunately, it had only been for a few months. Zach had known James his whole life. I thought back to what Zach had said about his mom's unorthodox parenting and discipline methods. Suddenly, I felt very thankful for my mom, more so than usual.

"I came back here after I was finished tailing Amy. I was heading back out to the festival to meet up with Bex and Mace. I stopped there when I heard voices." I pointed to the corner wearily. "James had met up with someone here, someone I didn't recognize. He was about 5'3", tan skin, dressed in all black. He was just a courier though, no one of any importance." I mentally replayed the conversation between the two men, then told Joe and Zach, straining to stay on my feet.

"'_-in nine days. Let your boss know. Can you handle that?'_

'_Yeah, sure. I'll let him know. He wants the payment upfront though.'_

'_I'll have it. He'll get his money as long as he comes through for us. It's not too often that Catherine gives out opportunities like this. Keep that in mind.'"_

Joe stood back up once I was done and gestured for us to follow. He moved a few feet away, far enough away that James couldn't listen, but close enough that Joe could still keep an eye on him.

"Nine days…" Zach mused. "The same day that Preston's coming."

I glanced over at Joe. He didn't look surprised. "I assume you and Mom have already figured all this out also?" Joe nodded in response.

"We know they're planning something, we just aren't sure what yet. We have agents coming in to help guard the Winters's."

"Preston's parents too?" I blinked slowly in surprise. "But Preston's dad is part of the Circle. I-Isn't he?"

Joe hesitated slightly. "He is, but he's a pawn more than anything else. We aren't sure if he knows about their plans for Preston or not."

"What happened after that, Gallagher Girl?" Zach turned his gaze back to my arm, his gaze narrowing.

I was in too much pain to be embarrassed by this part of my story. That fact alone told me that I needed medical attention. Soon.

"I slid back into the shadows and waited for them to leave. But James snuck up and grabbed me from behind. He knocked out and smashed my comms. We fought, I won. Eventually." I shrugged limply, sagging in exhaustion. I touched the back of my head where it was painfully throbbing. When I brought my fingers around in front of me, they were sticky and bright red. I closed my fist, clenching my colorful fingers together. Breathing deeply through the pain, I closed my eyes, hearing the stifled gasps and the awkward silence that followed and purposely ignoring the horrified expressions that I knew were on their faces. My eyes flew open again as the ground dropped out from under me and my world tilted sideways. Zach took off, leaving Mr. Solomon behind to deal with James. He ignored my small protests and refused to put me down. I gave up pretty quickly once the edge of the wound on my stomach started rubbing against Zach's shirt and squeezed my eyes shut.

I forced my eyes open again as Zach slowed to a stop. He had twisted his way through the maze of alleys, passing the streets of vendors, and ending up near the _Gleeson Electric_ van that Aunt Abby was currently sitting in. Zach opened the side door and set me down gently on the floor inside.

"Hey, guys what's u-"Smiling, Aunt Abby turned around toward us. Her smile died quickly as she trailed off.

"Hi, Aunt Abby… What's up?" I forced a small smile. She stared at me in shock, then hopped out of the driver's seat and jumping into the back. The back area of the van was empty of all seats and benches, leaving more than enough room for the three of us.

"She needs help. Now," Zach hopped in beside me. "Where did he get you?"

"My head. My arm and stomach…" I felt my head dropping forward. The gash on my stomach caused pain to sear through me, seemingly all over. I gave in and allowed myself to lie back on the floor. I watched wearily through a haze as Zach shoved my scarf to the side and rolled up my right sleeve. His face whitened slightly as he took in the deep stab wound, his eyes registering the amount of blood on my dark sleeve. It didn't show up on the black material, until you started looking for it.

Abby looked down at me. She reached hesitantly for my shirt, then pushed it up a few inches, just enough to uncover the deep gash on my stomach. No one said anything. They sat there, completely silent.

"I…I'm calling Rachel," Abby finally stated hesitantly. "She needs to know. And at the very least, she'll need to send one of the other teachers over here to pick up all the girls." She leaned over into the front seats and grabbed her phone, hopping out of the van as she called my mom.

Zach sat beside me. He seemed unsure of what to say or do. I closed my eyes.

"Thank you, Zach."

He laughed bitterly. "Thank you? For what? It's my fault you're in this mess!" Zach shook his head sadly. "My mother… I need t-"

"Shut up, Goode," I cut in, lifting my chin defiantly. "When someone says 'Thank You', the polite thing to do is to say: 'You're Welcome.' Did you skip _Culture & Assimilation_ class at Blackthorne?"

Zach opened his mouth defensively. I pointed at him with my left hand, stopping him.

" Madam Dabney would be appalled." I continued triumphantly.

Zach started to reply, a smirk beginning to appear on his face, but Abby-now sitting in the front seat-cut him off.

"MI6 is coming for James and Professor Buckingham is on her way down here to get the rest of the girls." She started the van.

Zach leaned over to close the door. He grabbed the handle, and then abruptly leaned away from the door. Suddenly, Bex came flying into the van, landing in a crouch and slamming the door shut. Abby looked back questioningly.

"GO!" Bex yelled. Abby nodded. Bex turned on me as the van took off. I took a deep breath as Aunt Abby rounded a sharp corner without slowing. I wondered absently if Bex and Aunt Abby had been exchanging driving tips. "Cameron Morgan! What is wrong with you?!" Her voice took on a mocking tone. "_Oh ,'I PROMISE, the next time a large terrorist organization tries to kidnap one of us, you can decide how we handle it!'_"

I smiled wanly. "Well, I didn't exactly plan this one, Bex. I'm sorry." I winced as we hit a bump, jarring my arm. It was bleeding profusely now. Zach pulled off his shirt and started ripping it into strips. I averted my eyes. _Focus, Cammie! This is not the time to be thinking about your boyfriend's abs! Well… almost boyfriend…._ I shook my head, stopping myself before I followed that confusing train of thought.

"You'd better be sorry! Some bloody best friend, not inviting me," Bex mumbled, crossing her arms.

I gasped faintly, black dots spotting my vision as Zach started winding the improvised bandages around my forearm. My last thought as I lost consciousness was the irony of my situation. Once again, I was headed back to Gallagher, stabbed senseless by a Circle agent.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Thanks for sticking with me guys! You're the best!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I took so long to update. I'm 8 hours away from home at the moment, helping my Aunt get everything ready for her wedding on Saturday. Very excited, I'm a bridesmaid! I've literally been working 24/7 on school (I'm homeschooled) and wedding plans. I've been swamped! **

**But anywho, here's the next chappie... This one's pretty fluffy. But we're working our way to the big exciting climax! Hope you like it! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

(Cammie's POV)

I pushed myself out of the infirmary bed once again, stifling a moan as I moved. I was still wearing the same clothes and contacts that I had been wearing during the Roseville trip, and my hair was still covered in the black hair dye. I moved slowly across the room, doing a small dance to ensure that I didn't step on any creaky boards. The floor stayed silent for me as I reached toward the side door that led out of the infirmary.

"Don't even think about it, Cammie." My mom swept into the room and slid neatly in front of me, blocking the escape. I frowned at her and attempted to sidestep her, knowing that she could stop me easily in my condition. And she did.

"I'm completely fine, Mom," I said calmly, staring evenly into her eyes and keeping my posture relaxed to sell the lie. Mom smiled placatingly.

"Nice try, but I'm the one who taught you that trick. You're not leaving this room Cameron. You've been stabbed, choked, and smacked in the head by a Circle agent and a brick wall, and you think you're _fine_?" She looked at me incredulously. I averted my eyes in frustration.

"Trust me, Mom," I sighed wearily," it's not the first time."

"As true and upsetting as that may be," she placed two fingers under my chin and forced me to make eye contact, "You aren't leaving this room. Promise me."

I remained stubbornly mute.

"Cameron. Promise me you won't go anywhere near either of these doors." She gestured towards both of the doors that led out to the hallway.

"Fine. I promise."

Mom smiled and kissed my forehead. "Thank you. Now here, let's get you back in bed."

I compliantly let her lead me over to the uncomfortable mattress and get me settled under the sheets. She brushed my hair back from my brow soothingly, then stopped and picked up a strand of my raven locks. I shrugged at her.

"Macey?" An amused glint appeared in her eye. I smirked in response, knowing that she didn't need an answer. "I like your normal color better, Cam." Suddenly all the amusement fled from her eyes and she seemed almost… hurt. Her voice lowered to a whisper. "I'm so sorry Cammie. I-" Her voice broke. She grabbed me fiercely and held on as tight as she could without touching my stomach or arm. We sat there quietly, my head resting on my mom's shoulder, not needing any words. The silence was comforting. I blinked sluggishly a few times more, and then slowly drifted back off to sleep.

-:-:-:-

I woke slowly, enjoying the warmth under the heavy blanket. I frowned slightly, still half asleep. There hadn't been a blanket before…. Just a few thin sheets. My eyes opened. I sat up as quickly as I could, blinking in disbelief. The whole infirmary had been completely redecorated. The boring off-white walls had been painted. They were now a deep jewel-tone purple, my favorite color. The thick comforter that had been placed on top of me was purple and grey stripes. One of the walls was covered with glossy color photos of all of my favorite places: Rome, Athens, New York, a beach in Florida, and my grandparent's farm. There was a larger picture of Gallagher Academy in the middle of the other photos. Someone had taken out the hard, white, plastic chairs against the wall and replaced them with comfy padded chairs in different bright patterns. The nurse chart on the wall by the door had been removed. In its place was a large wooden _C_, painted grey. A new nightstand sat beside the bed. There was a picture of me and my mom, me and my friends, and one of me, Mom, and Dad. The boring, drab, and dull infirmary had been transformed into a beautiful room pulled straight out of a high end decorator's magazine. It was my dream room.

I wondered how this had been done without me waking up. I shifted positions on the bed and got my answer as a searing pain shot through my stomach and I swayed slightly. The bed was suddenly looking extremely inviting. It was so tempting. Just lie back down and drift off to sleep. I paused indecisively, considering it. Looking at the sun coming in through the window, I realized that I had been asleep for 16 hours. That meant it was the 11th. Just eight more days until Preston arrives. Pushing the comforter and all thoughts of further sleep aside, I slowly and cautiously swung my legs over the side of the bed, my feet dangling above the tile floor.

The infirmary door creaked as it slowly opened behind me. Liz's head popped into the room, a small smile on her face.

"She's up," Liz spoke softly. She pushed the door the rest of the way and my friends filed in. Zach pulled a chair up beside the bed. Grant collapsed on one of the new chairs. Jonas went to follow Grant, but then stopped and offered his chair to Liz instead. I bit back a grin and exchanged a glance with Bex. Macey came through the door last, smiling proudly as she shut it behind her. She had a small duffel bag in her right hand.

"Do you like it? The finest I could get on a moment's notice, but it worked out really well!" She ran her hand across the bedspread.

"Yeah, I love it…it's amazing! But why would you go to all the trouble of redecorating the infirmary for me? Plenty of other people stay in here also."

Bex shrugged. "You spend more time in this room than everyone else in the school combined. Except maybe the nurse." She glanced at Liz questioningly. Liz nodded.

"The nurse is the only person in here more than you, Cam. The data doesn't lie!" She giggled and then her face lit up excitedly. "Oh, Cammie! The chameleon experiment worked perfectly! I've prolonged the effects, and now it lasts up to nine hours, and can be turned on and off! Everything I've tested the serum on has been successful!" The smile on her face suddenly dropped and she began to mumble. "E-except when I tested it on the chameleon."

I blinked, trying to process all of this. "Where did you get a chameleon?"

Liz glanced at Jonas and cocked her head. She looked back at me. "It's probably best if you don't know."

I frowned at her. "What happened to the chameleon? What did you do to the poor thing?"

Liz blushed. "Um, it- well it had a…..reaction."

Grant raised his eyebrows. "Reaction?"

I waved my hand to hurry her up.

"It swelled up and turned grey. It started having miniature seizures. Then it lost its ability to camouflage itself. And then it….died." She turned a bright beet red.

Zach smirked. I raised my eyebrows and tried to swallow a laugh.

"You're going to have bloody animal rights activists knocking down your door." Bex started laughing hysterically.

I exchanged an incredulous look with Macey and then as if on cue everyone in the room burst out laughing. When the laughter had finally died off, I looked over towards Macey again. She held up the duffel bag.

"I grabbed some stuff for you. The usual, toothbrush, change of clothes. Oh, and Liz slipped in some hair spray."

"Why do I need hairspray?" I asked.

"Not that kind of hairspray," Liz spoke up, pulling an aerosol can out of the bag. "I came up with a spray that gets rid of the color in your hair."

I eyed the can warily. "Gets _RID_ of the color? Completely? Why in the world would I want to use that?"

"It gets rid of the dye. We did a really quick dye job on your hair earlier, because we couldn't get a wig on that short of a notice. This spray is faster and easier than washing the dye out." She put the can back into the bag.

"You're _positive_ that it will only get rid of the dye?" I asked skeptically. Liz huffed.

"I used it on myself, Bex, and Macey already. It works!"

"Okay," I gave in. "Hey, Macey, where's Kyle at?"

A confused look passed over Macey's face. "He said something about talking to Joe?" She cocked her head curiously. "He didn't really give me a straight answer."

I nodded and smiled, glad they were finally having a conversation. They'd talked before, but trying to have a conversation in between visits from demented Circle agents who want to kill you just isn't the same. I glanced over to find Zach looking at me curiously, and realized that I was sitting there with a really creepy smile on my face, staring off into space.

"Oh! Macey, what did you find out from Preston?" Liz piped up, her skin now back to its normal pale color.

"Okay, well he told me enough to help us out, but I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty difficult grilling him over the phone without letting him catch on. They'll be here in eight days, as we know. Preston's itinerary is actually pretty relaxed. His parents are the politicians, not him, so for the most part he can do what he wants. His family is going to the Roseville Mall on the 19th-the day they arrive- with the Mayor's family, and having dinner with them the next night. The rest of time his parents-mostly his dad actually- are booked with various meeting and other really boring stuff." Macey finished.

"The mall." I said.

"Yeah… They'll be there on the 19th. Y'know, I just said all of that a moment ago. I understand that you're all concussed, and knocked up on drugs and everything, but it'd be really nice if you could just listen so I wouldn't have t-"

"No, Macey!" I interrupted impatiently. "The mall! That's when they're going to take Preston!"

Bex sat down on the arm of Grant's chair. "How do you know?"

I sighed. "Yesterday, after I finished tailing that girl, I walked out behind the mall and passed through an alley. I heard whispered voices echoing everywhere. When I peeked around the corner, the agent from the base, James, was making a deal with some little guy with an attitude." I told them about the conversation that the two had exchanged.

"_-in nine days. Let your boss know. Can you handle that?"_

"_Yeah, sure. I'll let him know. He wants the payment upfront though."_

"_I'll have it. He'll get his money as long as he comes through for us," James reminded. "It's not too often that Catherine gives out opportunities like this. Keep that in mind." _

"Nine days," I repeated. "That's when Preston gets here. Well it's eight days now, but still. I think they're planning on taking him then."

Bex nodded thoughtfully. "It's a pretty big mall, guys. If the Circle managed to get him separated from his family, they probably wouldn't notice for a while. Long enough for Preston to be long gone. We need to make a plan"

I slid off the bed and landed on the floor. Zach jumped up and grabbed onto me, making sure I was steady.

"All right. Let's head back to our room, or the lounge or something. Start making plans. Macey, will you find Kyle and bring him wi-"

"Cam, your mom made you promise you wouldn't leave the room."

"You guys are awful eavesdroppers. Seriously. You need to work on that. She made me promise that I wouldn't go anywhere near those two doors." I pointed to the aforementioned doorways. "I never promised I wouldn't leave the room." I smiled mischievously. "Now, go find Kyle!"

Everyone went back out of the infirmary, except Zach. Zach grabbed the duffel bag and stood up. He rummaged through the bag and pulled out the can of hair dye remover.

"Here," He handed it to me. "I like your old color better."

"Y'know, I've been hearing that a lot lately." I sprayed the stuff in a cloud around my head and squeezed my eyes shut. My hair slowly faded back to its original color.

"Your hair looks beautiful," Zach stated simply. I smiled at him. Not really sure where the sweetness was coming from, but I love it all the same. "You're beautiful," he corrected softly, his arms wrapping around me and pulling me close.

"Thank you." I laid my head on his shoulder and squeezed him as tight as I could with my arm in a sling. I stayed there a moment longer, then eased back slightly. "Stop distracting me, Zachary Goode,"

Zach smirked. "What can I say? I'm just so ama-" He stuttered to a stop as I punched him in the stomach.

"Don't push it, Goode," I warned, turning and walking over to the corner of the room by the bed. There was a switch on the wall that moved the bed up and down. I grabbed the switch and pushed it in as far as it would go. A passageway opened up between the two walls in the corner. I walked over to it, then glanced back toward Zach.

"You comin'?"

Zach smiled. "With you? Always."

* * *

**A/N: I just love Zach! He's definitely my favorite. Okay, so question guys! Me and my friend have had an ongoing discussion about who's better: Hale(from Heist Society) or Zach? I think Zach, she says Hale... What do you guys think? Let me know ;)**

**Also, I have run out of new stories to read...None of my favorites are updating at the moment... Do you guys know of any? Gallagher Girls, Percy Jackson, or Hunger Games? Thanks!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait.. For some reason, I've just been bombarded with things to do lately.. :/ But the chapter is up now!**

**The A/N below is _extremely_ important, so please read it also! Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

(Cammie POV)**  
**

The mind is an amazing thing. The ability that it has to make time appear to slow down or speed up. The fact that, even with all the knowledge we learn and process in our lifetime, we only use up a small fraction of it. The uncanny knack for bringing up the most random, out of place thoughts in a difficult or dangerous situation. And right now it was that last fact that I found myself marveling at. The fact that even as I stared down the barrel of the gun, the gun that would end my life, I found myself thinking: I completely forgot to write my Cove-ops report. Mom and Joe were not going to be happy.

"One move. Make one, small move, and you'll watch her die. Slowly and painfully."

I shifted around uncomfortable in the awkward position that James and his assistant held me in. It was weird, how calm I was, considering I was facing the woman who was about to kill me. I wondered for a moment, just _how_ hard I had hit my head earlier…

_1 Hour Earlier: Operation Preston_

I walked quietly through the mall, blending in like any true chameleon would. We had snuck out of Gallagher earlier, leaving through one of my many passageways. Thankfully, it was a Saturday, so we had a few hours before anyone missed us.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pretended to talk into it, keeping up a normal teenager façade. My shopping bag weighed on my arm. It looked just like the shopping bags that I saw on arms all around me. My bag was slightly different than everyone else's though. The objects inside looked normal: chapstick, lip gloss, a compact mirror, hairspray, pony tails, and a few bobby pins. What you couldn't tell by looking at them was that the chapstick was acidic, the ponytails were strong enough to hold absolutely anything together (think, Superman, the Thing, or Iron man,) and wouldn't break, and the hairspray was a thick, blinding, long-lasting fog. The lip gloss was used for heat sensors; apply a thin coat to the sensor, and it completely sealed up, so that the alarms wouldn't go off, no matter how hot the room got. And the compact mirror? It had several uses: laser deflecting, a mini computer, and making sure that the agent you just knocked out didn't mess up your perfect hair (Macey's words, not mine!).

"You guys there?" I spoke through the comms unit in my ear.

"Yep, we can hear you, loud and clear." Bex's voice rang through my ear.

I winced. "Duchess, you're talking through a speaker and into my head. I can hear you just fine, so quit yelling."

"Ready to kick some Circle butt?" Liz asked happily.

"Always," came Bex's confident reply.

"We know where they're going to take him at," Macey's said tersely. "He always visits the game stores. The game shops are all on the third floor, which is mostly abandoned otherwise. And that new war game just came out today."

"We got this Mace. All right girls, let's do it!" I flipped my new, platinum blonde hair over my shoulder, and walked into the food court. "For the record, Peacock, this is one of the most comfortable outfits you've ever had me wear. Thanks." I was wearing skinny jeans and a loose long sleeved shirt. Very simple. After all, you don't want to be wearing tight, short outfits when there's the possibility of fighting a Circle agent.

Scanning the crowds for a moment, I found my target easily and snuck up behind him. He glanced around the mall, unaware that I was even there. I reached out and grabbed his neck, jumping on top of him.

"Derek!" I squealed excitedly, suppressing a laugh at the look on Zach's face. He grabbed me as I landed on him and pulled me into a hug. I felt my feet hit the ground again and hooked my arm through "Derek's." We headed out of the food court, with me pulling on Derek's arm and shrieking excitedly. I glanced sideways to see a full-blown smirk blooming on Zach's cocky face.

"Get that stupid smirk off your face," I spoke quietly to Zach, my voice extremely perky and a girlish grin still on my face.

"What're you going to do about it?" He leaned closer, yet another smirk on his face. I smiled evilly and gestured for him to lean closer. As he leaned down, I stood up on the tips of my toes and whispered in his ear. He leaned back uncomfortably and stared at me, the smirk disappearing from his face and a blank look appearing in its place. I grinned victoriously and began walking again.

-:-:-:-

I resisted the urge to slouch down in my seat beside Zach. We were sitting on a bench in the middle of the mall, watching and waiting for Preston and his family to walk past us. We were in the main hallway of the mall, which connected the whole building. The Winters' would _have_ to walk by us to get anywhere.

"They are taking their dear old time," I pulled my legs onto the seat beside me and leaned into Zach. "They are slow, turtle-esque, sluggish, dawdling, idle, lackadaisical-"

"Lackadaisical?" Zach looked amused.

"Yes, lackadaisical, snail-like, comatose-"

"Seriously, lackadaisical?"

"Yes! It means indifferent, uncaring, listless-"

"Did you have to memorize a thesaurus or something?" He laughed.

I blinked. "Um…Yes. Seventh grade."

Zach shook his head at me, eyebrows raised. "So, why are you listing the thesaurus again? Has listening to Liz gotten to you that much?"

"Because, I'm always proven wrong. So I've decided to make that work in my favor. Lazy, lethargic, bor-"

"There they are," Zach interrupted. I looked up to see Preston and his family walking into the hallway. They sat down at a nearby table and began to talk

I threw my hands into the air. "YES! Okay, Duchess, I see the target." I studied Preston closely. "Wow… he looks a lot better, Peacock. The boy has been lifting some weights!"

"All right. Proceed with the plan, Chameleon." I heard the smile in Macey's voice.

We stood up and began to casually make our way across the large hall to the other side. I chattered about nonsensical things the whole way over, tugging on "Derek's" arm the whole time. I watched as Preston quickly got bored with the conversation going on between his parents and the mayor. He stood up and, after gesturing to the floors above him, began to walk away. We walked onto the escalator in front of Preston and got off on the third floor.

I looked around the area. The third level was brand new, and still in progress. More than half of the floor was under construction, and completely empty of all people. Only the area around the escalators was slightly populated with an arcade and a game store. There were elevators on the other side past all the construction that provided a separate exit that most people wouldn't notice, as you had to weave your way through a maze of construction materials, and fallen beams and walls.

It was the perfect spot to stage an attack on the Ambassador's slightly oblivious son.

Zach headed over to the elevators. I kept a watchful eye on him and Preston-who was in the game store- while he undid the metal plate that surrounded the up and down buttons, revealing tangles of multi-colored wires surrounding the directional arrows. Zach pulled a small black device and a small pair of metal scissors from his pocket. He carefully snipped one of the small wires in the opening and attached the device onto both clipped ends.

"There you go Bookworm," Zach whispered softly. "All set."

"Thanks Zach." Liz replied. The tapping sound of her typing on her computer came over the comms. "All right, got it. I have complete control of the elevators now. I can decide who to let in, and who to let out by watching through the cameras."

"Great job, Lizzie." I smiled and then gestured toward Zach. "Okay, lets go get Preston."

We walked into the store and saw Preston looking at the Wii games

"Derek! They have the new Just Dance game!" I squealed. I grabbed it off the shelf and grinned. Zach kept to the background, seemingly immersed in the rack of games in front of him. I walked carefully over to Preston and stood beside him, pointing to other games I liked as I did so. I turned and shoved the game in Preston's arms. "Isn't this so cool? Have you played it yet?"

Preston blinked in surprise and fumbled to catch the game. "Um, not yet." He stared at me, eyebrows raised.

I quieted down, lowering my tone so no one else could hear me. "Preston, it's me, Cammie. Macey's friend from the roof. Listen, you need to co-"

"Cammie?!" Preston broke in incredulously.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's me."

"Oh, wow. Man it's been forever!" He smiled a little, then blinked as he took in my new appearance. "Whoa, you look different. Hey, how-"

"Preston, listen to me," I interrupted. "Remember the people from the roof? The ones from the helicopter?"

His smile faded quickly. "Well, yeah, of course. Every day."

"Okay, well they're back. And they're coming here. Today. So we need to get you out of here, right now!" I linked elbows with him and giggled, pulling him back towards Zach. We walked out of the store and headed towards the elevators.

Preston pulled away, frowning. "Cammie, what is going on? Who's he?" he gestured to Zach. "And why do you look like that? What did you mean about the people from the roof?"

I stepped closer. "Okay, Preston. Listen closely. The people who attacked us on the roof were from a secret organization called the Circle. It's a terrorist group of very dangerous people. They're after you and Macey and it's our job-" I motioned to myself and Zach, "to make sure that they don't get you."

"Bu-" he was interrupted by a _ding_.

The elevator doors slid open and Macey stepped out. She quickly ran over to where we were standing and grabbed Preston's arm.

"Cam, we can explain later. We're running out of time!" She yanked on his arm and hurried towards the elevator. The relative safety of the elevator doors suddenly felt a hundred yards away as I heard a small crash echoing through the construction maze. And then I saw something that made my heart stop in my chest.

James.

I willed my lungs to take a breath, and forced myself not to reach involuntarily towards the knife wounds he had inflicted on me. This is silly, I told myself. I knew he would be here. The phrase "The Circle is coming," generally means that James will be there. But the reaction still took hold of me. I strained to exhale again, and finally felt myself go back to normal. But just as I got over the shock of seeing him here, hordes of black clad Circle agents appeared behind him, each and every one aching for a fight.

And I decided right then, as they ran toward us, cutting off the path to the elevator, that this was one wish I would gladly grant.

We stepped back and assumed typical fighting stances, with me and Macey guarding Preston. I heard Liz screaming Bex's name over the comms and I knew that she had been watching through the elevator cameras. I looked Preston in the eyes and got his attention, saying what little I could before the agents overtook us.

"Stay behind us. Don't let them near you!"

"But Camm-"

"You stay behind us!" I yelled, stepping in front of him and blocking as the first agent threw a punch toward my face. I threw a right hook in return, but feinted and punched with my left fist instead, stepping into the punch with all my might. The agent dropped cold, _Man,_ I thought,_ they just don't make goons like they used to._

We exchanged punches and kicks for a while, dodging knives-which all the goons had taken to carrying now-and knocking them out one-and sometimes two-at a time. But more agents just kept coming, pouring endlessly into the room. I momentarily glanced back towards the arcade and saw some people starting to crowd around the doorway. I quickly head butted the agent that I was holding and then looked over towards the cameras.

"LIZ!" I yelled. "DO SOMETHING!"

I got a response moments later as a loud screeching filled the air. I smiled when I realized that the fire alarms had gone off, along with the detectors in the entrance of every store in the mall. And an instant later, water was pouring down on us in a response to the fire alarms. The people in the arcade rushed towards the escalators, completely oblivious to our fight as they submitted to the chaos. The civilians forgotten, I turned my attention back to the men in black around me. (Not the good kind. Think less "Will Smith", and more "An evil adaptation of Hugh Jackman's version of Wolverine." If that sounds confusing, Google it!)

It became obvious mere seconds later that we were hopelessly outnumbered. The flow of agents had finally stopped, but there were only four of us-if you counted Preston- and we were getting tired, our aim starting to get fuzzy.

I tried later to figure out what happened after that, but I don't really know. All I know is that I blinked, and suddenly we were on the losing side. I felt countless punches and kicks landing on my body, knives ripping through my skin, hands grabbing me by the throat and throwing me head-first into the nearest wall. I felt my body sink to the ground and struggled to get back up, wondering why I had thought that we were prepared for this onslaught. I pushed myself back up and was about to head back to help, when I felt a hot meaty hand close around my throat and lift me off the ground. I clawed uselessly at the mitt, straining to breathe and stay conscious with the little bit of air that was getting through. The hand swung me around, and my eyes met James's. A triumphant look crossed his face, fueling my anger and giving me enough adrenaline to kick him where it hurts. He bent over and smashed my head into the concrete floor in pain and anger. I lay there, dazed, hatching through a hazy fog as Macey slumped against the opposite wall, her arm lying beside her at a painful angle. Two men grabbed Preston by his arms, ignoring his attempts to get away. Zach was still fighting, slamming one man after another onto the ground. His eyes met mine and he fought harder, this time in my direction, heading towards me.

I felt numb all over. I knew that there were several stab wounds on my arms and face, cuts and slashes on my stomach, chest and legs, and that my face was bruised and tender from all the hits that it had taken. But I felt nothing. No pain. No emotion. Nothing. The fight had left me completely. The thought made my stomach hurt. Oddly enough, I enjoyed the feeling. At least I could feel something, even if it wasn't pleasant.

It was true though. I had failed. I had failed to save my friends, my family. I had failed my parents.

I felt my shoulder shaking and frowned as I realized that I wasn't the one shaking it. Zach appeared as I opened my eyes, kneeling over me worriedly.

"Cam-"

"Macey," I breathed the word out. "Help Macey."

His eyes roved over me anxiously. "Bex is with her."

"Zach, we have to get Pres-" I was cut off as James punched Zach in the gut, then kicked over with his metal tipped boot and grabbed me again. He pulled me several feet away, twisted my arms around behind my back and yanked, smiling as I whimpered. His hot breath heated my neck as he whispered in my ear.

"Get used to it, Cameron. We're going to have a lot of fun together, just like we did this summer." I summoned up all my strength, all my energy, but it wasn't enough. I was beaten, broken, defeated.

Zach stood up and ran towards me, but stopped as five agents bombarded him.

James laughed cruelly and gave up one of my arms to another agent, who grabbed it as he walked closer. I hung between them limply. I watched as Zach tried to fight through the crowd, finally breaking free.

But then, the noise and chaos seemed to come to a standstill as the _click_ of a gun echoed through the hall.

-:-:-:-

The mind is an amazing thing. The ability that it has to make time appear to slow down or speed up. The fact that, even with all the knowledge we learn and process in our lifetime, we only use up a small fraction of it. The uncanny knack for bringing up the most random, out of place thoughts in a difficult or dangerous situation. And right now it was that last fact that I found myself marveling at. The fact that even as I stared down the barrel of the gun, the gun that would end my life, I found myself thinking: I completely forgot to write my Cove-ops report. Mom and Joe were not going to be happy.

"One move. Make one, small move, and you'll watch her die. Slowly and painfully." Zach's mom, Catherine, warned him. I watched as Zach slowly froze in pace, the pain in his eyes extremely evident.

I shifted around, uncomfortable in the awkward position that James and his assistant held me in. It was weird, how calm and detached I was I was, considering I was facing the woman who was about to kill me. I wondered for a moment, just _how_ hard I had hit my head earlier…

"We were always ahead of you. Always one step ahead. We watched your every move. And you fell for it. All of it," she laughed cruelly. "We never actually had any use for Preston or Macey. Only you, and that list you kept in your memory, locked up tight. You were our willing courier. Passing along every bit of information that we allowed you to hear. Yes, Cammie," she noticed the dazed look of shock on my face, "We knew you were awake. We knew you were listening, and we 'accidentally' let some facts slip. You led your friends straight into our trap. You came alone, without any help. No one knows you are here. So I guess I should thank you for giving us the perfect chance to tie up all these little," she gestured to Macey, Preston, and Bex, who was being held down by 6 agents," _loose ends_"

"And now it's over. We have the list now. The game has ended, and we came out on top. WE won. We beat you completely. And I intend to rub it in your face for the rest of your life," Catherine cocked the gun confidently, Zach's smirk on her face, mocking me. "which, won't be very long."

* * *

**A/N: I'm gonna start out with a completely random, nonsense fact: I actually have been to a mall in Indianapolis that's similar to the mall explained in this chapter... The top floor only has an arcade and a movie theater, and the rest is pretty much abandoned, except for the occasional creeper walking around or lurking in the corner... It's weird. God only knows what goes on up there...But anyway... that was my inspiration for this chapter. **

**Also, for all you Directioners out there, I would just like to say: I just got 1D's new CD, and Heart Attack is my favorite! I smile or laugh everytime I hear "OW!" haha! Have you guys listened to it?  
**

**Okay! Important message time...**

**Several things.. First off, I wrote my first one-shot a bit ago, and posted it on here. It is the first one-shot that I've ever attempted, so if you guys would read it and let me know what you think, that'd be awesome! I was a little unsure when I was writing it. It's an AU Gallagher story called 'Promises and Doorbells.'  
**

**Second, This story is pretty much coming to a close, and I have several ideas about what to write next, but I don't know which one to do first! So I've listed some of my ideas below... Let me know in a review which one('s) you think I should write, please! :)  
**

**Gallathorne Games (Hunger Games) [I've seen several people use the term Gallathorne.. not sure who came up with it though..]**

** _The characters aren't definite... I haven't fully decided yet.. But this is what I have so far._**

**Haymitch: Joe Solomon**

**Cinna: Bex**

**Prim: Liz**

**Gale: Grant**

**President Snow: Catherine Goode**

**Peeta: Zach**

**Effie: Macey**

**Etc…**

**Untitled story: AU (no spies) Cammie gets kidnapped in the Roseville Mall. Rachel gets Cammie's flyer posted all around the small town of Roseville. Two weeks later, Zach sees Cammie in passing. Something about her sticks in his mind. He sees a flyer posted in the gas station near his house, on a board that says: "Have you seen this child?" Will he be able to help her escape?  
**

**and finally: Gallagher Girls: The Switch _or_ Gallagher Girls Remix**

**Cammie is the daughter of Rachel Morgan, a Circle leader who recruits at Gallagher, a prison school for troubled children. Zach is the son of Catherine Goode, the headmistress at Blackthorne, a prep school for rich kids. When Cammie finds out that the Circle is targeting Zach, what will she decide to do? The entire Gallagher Girls series, backwards.**

**I'll probably end up doing each of these stories, just wanted to know which one you awesome peoples think I should do first... Long A/N, I know.. thanks for being patient with me! You guys are great!  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I last updated... I kept trying to write this chapter (Seriously re-wrote the thing like 3 times! It actually had a completely different ending a few minutes ago.. but I didn't like it :) ) So anyway... here's Chapter 19!**

* * *

_"We were always ahead of you. Always one step ahead. We watched your every move. And you fell for it. All of it," she laughed cruelly. "We never actually had any use for Preston or Macey. Only you, and that list you kept in your memory, locked up tight. You were our willing courier. Passing along every bit of information that we allowed you to hear. Yes, Cammie," she noticed the dazed look of shock on my face, "We knew you were awake. We knew you were listening, and we 'accidentally' let some facts slip. You led your friends straight into our trap. You came alone, without any help. No one knows you are here. So I guess I should thank you for giving us the perfect chance to tie up all these little," she gestured to Macey, Preston, and Bex, who was being held down by 6 agents," loose ends"_

_"And now it's over. We have the list now. The game has ended, and we came out on top. WE won. We beat you completely. And I intend to rub it in your face for the rest of your life," Catherine cocked gun confidently, Zach's smirk on her face, mocking me. "which, won't be very long."_

* * *

"What list?" I blurted out suddenly.

Catherine stopped and stared at me coolly. "What?"

"You heard me." I raised my chin defiantly. I'd never actually known what they wanted. I racked my brain. A list?

"The list of the Circle's founding members. Your father wouldn't give it up. And you, poor, naïve Cammie, had no idea what we were talking about. But it was there, in your subconscious. And all we had to do to get it out of you was use a little…_persuasion_. It's amazing what a little circus music can do," She mumbled the last part quietly and began walking towards me coolly.

I felt sick to my stomach as I thought about what she said. I had given up what my father had died for?

"Persuasion?" My voice sounded wooden, fake, like it didn't belong to me.

Catherine smirked. "Yes. Dr. Steve is extremely accomplished in that particular area. And you don't remember any of it!" She laughed cruelly. And let me tell you, Disney just hasn't quite captured the art of the evil laugh. They make it seem funny, cheesy, a joke. But I didn't feel like smiling as she threw her head back laughing. Suddenly she stopped and her head snapped back up. She whipped the gun down and pulled the trigger. I tensed and recoiled as the bullet flew between my legs, barely missing me.

I vaguely wondered how she had missed at only eight feet away, but I didn't think for long. There was no need to. I knew why. Catherine was taunting me.

At this point, I was struggling to stay calm and keep a straight face. That calm, eerie peacefulness that I was so worried about earlier? Yeah, I was really wishing it was still here. My eyes darted frantically to Zach's. I stared at him, hoping to send some sort of message. What kind of message, I don't know. But looking into his emerald eyes calmed me somewhat.

Zach slowly, subtly shook his head, just a little bit, warning me to stay still and calm. His clenched fist shook slightly, the only tell he had when he was angry.

Catherine repositioned herself, and pointed the gun towards my chest this time. James and the other agent responded in turn. Now, each held one of my arms, and had a knee firmly pressed on the back of mine, forcing me into an awkward kneeling position that I couldn't quite wriggle out of. James wrapped my hair around his meaty hand and yanked back, giving himself full control of my head movement as well. I stiffened and stared warily at Catherine as she took a few more steps in my direction. She was now six feet away.

"I've tired of this," she whispered. "Game over. I win."

And she pulled the trigger.

-:-:-:-

(Zach's POV)

I moved very slowly, taking very tiny steps towards Cammie. Cam looked towards me calmly. Well she looked calm. If you didn't know her. But I looked in her eyes and saw the panic rising up there. She was tensing up, looking like she was about to do something dangerous. I slowly shook my head and tried to tamp down the anger I was feeling. I avoided looking at the ground right by Cammie's knee and the bullet that was lodged there.

James and Mike pushed Cammie down until she was kneeling and held her there. It was a Hankala hold. Not impossible to get out of, but you had to be able to balance your feet on the ground in order to push your assailants off balance. Which Cammie could not do with a gun pointed at her forehead.

I watched my mother carefully, alarm building up in me. She had a certain tell. I'd lived with her all my life, and I could tell she was nearing the end of her little game. It was all a game. The whole thing was a charade. She toyed with her marks, playing with them as if they were marionettes on strings. And she was the puppet master.

"I've tired of this," she whispered. "Game over. I win."

And with that, I jumped.

I caught her around the middle, simultaneously grabbing her arm and yanking it away from Cammie. A large noise sounded right as the gun flew out of Mom's hand and skidded across the floor, coming to a stop a few feet away from Cammie and James. My eyes widened. _James._ I quickly looked over towards Cammie and nodded furiously. She awkwardly braced her feet against the ground and quickly shoved James and Mike over by twisting their arms.

I turned my attention back to my mother.

-:-:-:-

(Cammie's POV)

I shoved James and the other agent off balance and hopped up, running a few paces away. I bent over at the waist, breathing heavily. I couldn't seem to catch my breath. I gingerly touched my side and gasped as black spots dotted my vision. She had hit me. As far as I could tell, the bullet had gone straight through my side and had exited behind me. She hadn't hit her target of my heart though, thanks to Zach. I made a mental note to check on the wound later, and ignored the pain.

Suddenly, in my peripheral vision, I saw James turning towards the gun that lay on the floor. I raced over towards the weapon. I dropped into a slide on my hip and slid across the remaining distance, scooping up the gun as I flew by. James stood up at the same moment I did and we faced each other, me holding up the gun, him holding up his hands.

I clenched my jaw and held the gun out steadily. Suddenly he reached into his jacket. I knew what he was doing. I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed into his shoulder. James staggered and grabbed his arm. He lunged towards me anyway. I jumped backwards and shot again, aiming towards his thigh. James went down once again, and this time, didn't get up. I wondered at the lack of emotion that I was feeling. But this was the same man that had willingly tortured me in an underground cell for _months_. He deserved it. And I felt nothing.

I turned my attention to the chaos around me. Bex gone into her _Bex-mode_, and took down several agents at a time, fighting like only a Baxter can do. I blinked in surprise as my eyes found Preston. He was fighting one-on-one with a Circle agent, and actually holding his own. He sent a spinning kick into the guy's chest and the agent sank like a stone. Preston's eyes found mine and he grinned proudly.

"Martial arts! My parents became-" he sent a punch to a goon's face, "-slightly paranoid after the roof attack!" He laughed in triumph as another agent fell into a heap at his feet. Granted, he was no Blackthorne boy, but for a non-spy? Yeah, he was doing great!

I smiled slightly and finished scanning the room. Macey was lying against the wall behind Bex, still unconscious. I winced as I looked at her arm. Definitely broken. Again.

Suddenly Zach flew by me, landing against a wall. Catherine followed, an angry look on her face. I stepped into her path, positioning myself between Catherine and Zach, the gun pointed at her face. The background noise faded away. Everyone stopped to watch the showdown. I was only five feet away. I couldn't miss.

"Stop." My voice sounded deadly calm. "Enough."

"You don't call the shots, Cameron," she sneered.

"I'm the one with the gun." I stated. "Back away. Call them off. All your agents. Every single one of them."

Catherine smirked. "I don't think so."

"No?" I raised my brow and took the safety off the gun. "All right. Then they can all watch as you die."

"You won't kill me." Her confidence irritated me.

"Won't I?" I snapped back.

"No. Because if you kill me, then your friends die. Instantly," she snapped her fingers. "Just like that."

I stared around the room, trying to gauge the truth of her statement. Dozens of agents surrounded Macey, who still hadn't stirred. Bex was still fighting the seventeen agents that surrounded her. And Preston was sitting on the floor nursing a knife cut on his upper leg. Zach had gotten up and was standing beside me now, in a show of support.

"Don't listen to her, Cammie!" Bex yelled.

I thought a moment more and then made my decision.

I pulled the trigger. And felt my heart sink as the _click_ of the empty bullet chamber echoed around the room, mocking me.

But then, right as Catherine started laughing. I saw something that made me stop breathing.

A flash of blonde hair.

And then the skylights above us exploded. Dozens of Gallagher Girls flew down, as the whizzing sound of Rappel-a-Cord filled the air. The elevator doors opened and Kyle stepped out, leading my Mom, Mr. Solomon, the Baxter's, Grant, and Agent Townsend into the room, along with a half dozen other agents that I only recognized from my trips to the CIA bases. The whole entrance reminded me of my first Cove-Ops test. Back when the most important thing on my mind, the topic I was most concerned about, was Josh. Before I became the target of a large terrorist organization. And it felt good.

I smiled proudly as my sisters went into action, kicking bad guy butt like we'd been trained to our whole lives. Most of the time after that is a blur. I lost Catherine in the chaos, glimpsing her a few times in a face-off against my mother and Joe. I went into my element, feeling déjà vu as I fought beside the girls and Zach. I let out a laugh as I used an illegal Voitto maneuver to paralyze the unfortunate agent standing in front of me. I did a roundhouse kick against a scrawny redhead and turned to fight the next agent. But there weren't any. I blinked in disbelief. We beat them all?

And then, without any warning, I felt an all too familiar hand grab me by the neck and lift me into the air, fingers do large that they came completely around my neck and connected on the other side. I didn't have to look. I knew it was James. His bulky fingers squeezed tighter, digging into my throat. I kept my eyes closed and focused on breathing. I clawed at his hand desperately, uselessly. He shook me in impatience.

I became aware of an unnatural silence and opened my eyes. The whole hall of Gallagher girls and Blackthorne boys, both alumni and current students, was frozen in place. I struggled silently, my eyes tearing up, trying my best to draw in a breath. But I couldn't.

"Put her down!" The angry voice cut through the silence. I looked over as best I could and saw Zach. He was standing to my left, right in front of Catherine. There was a large dark gun in his hands. Pointed straight at his mother.

I took advantage of the surprise Zach had caused. Slowly lifting my foot up in front of me, I brought it down as hard as I could into James's bullet wound in his thigh. He crumpled to the ground, inadvertently sending me flying as well. I landed 10 feet away from Catherine, right on my bullet wound. I gasped for breath, my body twitching. Catherine turned towards me. I slowly pulled myself to my feet.

"Stay away from her." The venom in his voice scared even me. Catherine looked at him with contempt. Then it faded into disgust.

"You are such a disappointment. A useless excuse for a son. It's shameful" Her voice was laced with disgust.

"Well, excuse me for not being the terrorist's idea of a perfect son. Impressing the woman who's been hunting my girlfriend down and making her miserable hasn't exactly been on my to-do list."

She looked at Zach with something akin to pity in her eyes. "We've never agreed on this subject before Zachary, so I see no use in this conversation."

Catherine whipped around and raced towards me. I leaned back into a defensive stance, my chin raised. I was through letting her control me. This was going to end. Now. Zach let out a yell and pulled the trigger. Catherine got within 3 feet of me before she dropped, her hand flying to clutch her stomach. I stared down at her.

Finally. It was finally over.

I looked up at Zach and felt unbidden tears come flowing out of my eyes. I took a shaky step towards him and felt him pull me into his arms. Zach's hands came around to cup my face. He leaned down slowly and kissed me. All the emotion from the past two hours came rushing to the surface and I clung to him as tightly as possible. He pulled back slowly and rested his forehead on mine. I let out a weary laugh and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"It's over," I breathed. "It's finally over."

"Oh… I'm so sorry Zach," I murmured as I realized how he must be feeling. We stood there in silence, ignoring the CIA and MI6 agents rushing around us to take everyone into custody. Zach moved his hands from my face and laid them against my waist. I jerked back and gasped.

"Gallagher Girl?" Zach looked at me. His gaze went from my eyes to my waist, and I watched as alarm filled his eyes. "Cammie!"

"It's fine, it's ju-"

"Cam, she _shot you?_"

"Zach," I stepped closer to him again. "You saved my life. She was aiming here." I pointed to my heart.

Zach stared at me, an anguished look in his eyes. "Cammie, she-"

I reached up and placed my hands behind his head. "Blackthorne Boy?"

He stopped. "Yeah?"

"Shut up." And with that, I pulled his head down and kissed him. For 110 seconds. And then we were interrupted.

"We always had a plan!" We pulled apart and turned at the sound of Catherine's voice.

She was being handcuffed between two agents. Her face was twisted into a devious expression. "You think we didn't have a backup plan incase this happened? You will never be free of us, Cammie." I tensed up at her words and grabbed Zach tightly. Before anyone could react, Catherine had twisted her hands around. A silver band appeared on her wrist, and she pressed a large button on the side.

A high keening sound filled the air. I clamped my hands over my ears and gasped in pain. But I was the only one. I looked around and noticed that everyone else was standing there, completely fine, staring at me in shock.

"Zach?" I whispered as the noise got louder. He stared at me, a worried expression on his face.

"Cam?! Cammie? What's going on? Gallagher Girl?"

But I could no longer answer.

The piercing sound turned into a tangible pain, forcing me to my knees. I curled up in a ball and lay there, whimpering. Zach dropped to his knees beside me. And pulled me into his lap, wrapping me in his arms.

"What's happening to her? What did you do?!" He yelled at his mom as she was pulled away. I stared at him as my vision tunneled.

"_What did she do?"_

_ "Do something!"_

_ "Get the paramedics in here, now!"_

I could hear the screaming, the panicked voices, the maniacal laughter. But as the pain overwhelmed me, the noise slowly faded away, and I faded out with it.

* * *

**A/N: Originally, I had this written with a different ending. Catherine was going to be the last one standing, and was going to escape through one of the windows after pressing the button on her bracelet...And then I realized how extremely cheesy it sounded when I re-wrote it.. Hope you guys liked it!**

**There's only one chapter left! I think... One should be good, but you never know...  
**

**So anyways.. I've been thinking... sequel? or no? I'm not sure, so I'll leave it up to the readers!  
**

**Also, Gallathorne Games is up! If you guys would read it and tell me what you think, that would be awesome! I've written the first chapter... Whether or not I continue is all up to my reviewers and how much they like it!  
**

**(BTW, I was looking around Google for a Zach Goode quote, and someone posted a song that I thought would be perfect for a song-fic! It's called Family Tree by Matthew West, and seriously, it's like a sad song about Zach' life... Seriously, change a few _"father's" _to _"mother's"_ and it totally describes him! _I_ don't do song -fic's, but one of you guys totally should!)  
**

**Thanks guys!  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: CHRISTMAS EVE! Merry Christmas Fanfictioners!**

**First off, I'd like to apologize for the wait. December is the busiest month for me. Not only do I have to plan for Christmas, but every single Sunday in December, my church has a play or concert...And I'm in or in charge of a section of every single one! Craziness... And I had to be tutored for Calculus 0.o ...Please read the AN below.. very important!**_  
_

* * *

_The piercing sound turned into a tangible pain, forcing me to my knees. I curled up in a ball and lay there, whimpering. Zach dropped to his knees beside me. He pulled me into his lap, wrapping me in his arms._

"_What's happening to her? What did you do?!" He yelled at his mom as she was pulled away. I stared at him as my vision tunneled. _

_ "What did she do?"_

_ "Do something!"_

_ "Get the paramedics in here, now!"_

_ I could hear the screaming, the panicked voices, the maniacal laughter. But as the pain overwhelmed me, the noise slowly faded away, and I faded out with it._

-:-:-:-

(Cammie POV)

_(2300 hours)_

I awoke to mass panic. Or so it seemed. My eyes wouldn't open, but I could hear the frenzied conversations, the footsteps rushing around. The pain doubled with a sudden intensity. I curled up on the cold concrete floor, missing Zach's lap.

"Get JD in here now! It's getting worse!"

My hands gripped the sides of my head, trying to somehow get rid of the pain. A dull headache was starting to form where my forehead was furrowed in pain and concentration .I forced my eyes open and looked around as best I could. There were agents surrounding me; several doctors, scientists, and older versions of Liz and Jonas that were working on various gadgets placed close to my head. I felt my body begin shaking involuntarily as the piercing shriek continued pounding on my skull.

"Cammie!" I felt a familiar strong hand gently brush my cheek. I looked over at Zach's worried face. And despite the darts of pain shooting through my head, surprise still registered when I looked into his eyes. Was he…crying? I squinted—half from confusion and half because my head hurt—at his face. His eyes seemed a bit shiny…._nah. Just the light_, I decided. My eyes felt so heavy. As much as I tried to fight it, I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness again.

Then his hand was pushed away as the experts crowded around my throbbing head. At least, I hoped they were experts. The thought made me uneasy for a moment. I looked at the faces around me.

"Close your eyes," said JD, a buff guy wearing a lab coat. His brown hair fell in front of his glasses as he leaned over me. I obeyed, trying to relax my taut muscles. Another moment passed. Then the waves of pain came back, crashing through my head even stronger than before. My knees jerked up to my chest in an involuntary reaction as I let out a gasp. My eyes flew open.

"What's happening?" JD picked up a handheld device and started typing furiously.

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out except a strangled whimper. And I felt that feeling, the one that I had come to both hate and love so much. The feeling of darkness, unconsciousness taking over me. As much as I hated how much it happened, I welcomed the pain-less sleep. I looked over and found Zach's face, anger and worry fighting for control, and then I blacked out.

-:-:-:-

_The man smiles down at his daughter, a gleeful look on his face that is almost childlike. He holds up the two tickets._

"_Dad," the 11 year old girl shakes her head in amusement, "I'm too old for the circus!"_

"_That's funny," he pauses for a moment. "Because I'm not."_

_He opens the door to the passenger side and waits for her to climb in._

"_After you," he smiles. She laughs and hops onto the seat. He walks around the car, got in, and starts up the vehicle. They are a few miles down the highway when he suddenly pulls one hand off the steering wheel. A bag of M&M's appears in his hand. The little girl stares at him curiously, wondering how he did it without her noticing._

_They eat the chocolate candy the whole four hours, all the way across the state of Virginia until they arrive at the circus._

"_Look!" He points off to the left. "Lion Tamers!"_

_She smiles. "And clowns." She gestures to the brightly dressed characters that dance around on the grass. They stand and watch, laughing at the clowns antics, and gasping when a performer sticks his head into the lion's mouth._

"_Come on, over here!" He walks over and buys some cotton candy, handing her a blue puffy cloud of sugar, an identical replica of the one he is eating. They walk into the large red tent, their faces sticky with blue sugar and their fingers rainbow colored from the hundreds of M&M's they had devoured. The young sixth grader grins in delight as she sits down with her dad, watching the animals and entertainers._

"_Oooohhhh," she gasps, grabbing his arm and pointing excitedly. "Look, Dad! Trapeze artists!" The two people climb up the ladders on opposite sides of the ring. They each grab a hold of their bars and take off, swinging out into the open space. Her eyes widen as she takes in the graceful performers flying around the tent. One of the trapeze artists suddenly lets go of the bar, falling through the air. The girl's breath catches in her throat as she stares, enraptured. The fallen performer is caught by her partner, and they fly together, performing tricks as they glide by._

_The girl leans against her father once they are done and watches silently as the next few acts come out. She sits up again only when it is time for the tightrope walker. She marvels at the complexity of his act. The performer makes it look so easy. Is it really that simple, she wonders?_

_The show is over, all the performers completely finished, and most likely resting. The father and daughter walk out together, weaving through the crowd and talking about the performance. _

"_Thank you, Daddy," the girl smiles happily._

_Her father is opening his mouth to answer, when suddenly a woman stops in front of them, digging through her purse. She fumbles with the bag for a moment and then the purse falls from her arms, the contents scattering all over the ground. The father stoops down to help, handing the lady various items. The little girl watches as her father picks up a napkin and offers it to the woman._

"_No, that's trash," the lady smiles and walks off._

_The dad looks at the napkin a moment. The young girl comes up behind him, slowly and quietly. She glances at the napkin, only taking the time to look at it once. There is a list of names written across the thin papery sheet. Her eyes trail down the list, her brain committing it to memory accidentally. Her father notices her reading and folds the napkin, placing it into his pocket. He smiles and leads her to the car. She looks up as she walks and notices the music for the first time: light airy circus music that immediately catches her attention. She hums the tune as they get in the car and drive off. Circus music…._

-:-:-:-

"Elias Crane. Charles Dubois. Michelle Schaffer. Elise Richards." The names fell from my lips easily. I paused for a moment, absentmindedly humming under my breath. "Johnny Ryan. Chase Mitchell. Josh Hutsley-" I paused for the last one, well aware of who was in the room with me. "-and Samuel Winters."

A silence filled the room. I shifted in my chair and looked at my friends and family. Everyone important to me was in the room. Bex, Macey and Liz. Aunt Abby, my mom, and Joe. Grant, Jonas, Preston and Kyle. Zach was sitting on the arm of my chair, his hand on my shoulder comfortingly. And then there's Townsend. But I decided to cut him some slack.

The past 24 hours are a blur, honestly. I don't remember much of anything after I passed out the second time. What I do know, I have been told.

Catherine escaped. They don't know how she got away. Townsend swears that they will figure it out. But to me, that isn't really important. I don't care how she escaped. I only care that they get her back and never let her go again.

No one has been able to figure out the pain in my head. That fact does bother me. I have eyes on me at all times now, just in case something happens.

Preston's parents have gone missing. It's all over the news and the internet. But I'm not worried. It's taken Preston time to get used to the idea though. He's been spending pretty much all of his time wandering around the Academy. Macey is the only one who's gotten a response from him. I sent Zach to talk to him a few days ago. I figured Zach is one of the few people who actually understand what he's going through. From what I can tell, it worked pretty well. Preston isn't as quiet as he was, even though I've yet to see a smile from him. But I mean, if I had just found out that my mom was part of the Circle, I'd probably react worse than he has…

-:-:-:-

I sat in the pigeon room, the same room I had been in with Zach before I left. I stared out the windows, my arms wrapped around my knees, and felt a rogue tear slide down my cheek. I sniffed, not bothering to wipe it off.

"Cam?" I felt Zach sitting down beside me on the old wooden bench. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. I buried my face in his shirt and sighed. There was silence after that. Not an awkward uncomfortable silence, but a nice, calm, soothing one. The kind that most people only get with the person they're closest to. And for me, that was Zach. He sat there with me, completely fine with the silence, just available to talk. Finally, I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees, staring out at the sunset.

"I…She…" I trailed off, not really knowing what I wanted to say. "…They got it." I finally said softly, looked over at him.

"They got….?" Zach frowned, confused. Then understanding dawned. "Oh, Cammie, no."

"It's true." More rebellious tears welled up. "They have it now. They have the list. And I gave it to them!" I let out a sob and turned in my seat, burying my face in his shirt once again.

Zach wrapped his arms around and rubbed my back, letting me cry. I cried silently for a few minutes (3 minutes and 17 seconds…but who's counting really?) I let out a deep shuddering breath.

"It wasn't your fault, Cammie." He rested his chin on the top of my head. "You didn't do it willingly. You had no idea what was going on. It wasn't your fault, it was…_hers_." He spit the last word out, as if he wasn't sure what to call her. His mother.

"I know that here," I tapped my forehead. "Just not…_here_." I motioned to my heart. "It's just…my dad died to keep that list away from the Circle. He _died_. And all they had to do to get it away from me was play some music. They have the list now."

Zach paused for a moment. "Okay, so they have the list. Fine. But _so do we_. We just have to beat them to it."

-:-:-:-

"I'm in. Definitely." Grant stood up from his seat. "Kick some Circle _butt!_"

I smiled wryly. "You mean, what happened yesterday wasn't enough action for you?"

He tilted his head and winked. "Never. I will never get tired of it. They've invaded our lives so much, it feels good to reciprocate."

Bex walked through door and into the guy's room. "Wow, Grant… reciprocate? Big word! I'm proud," she said, stealing Zach's smirk.

I laughed, while Zach looked slightly affronted by the theft of his trademark. "So, what do you say Bex… You want to help?"

Bex stood by Grant. "Jonas, Liz, Macey, and Kyle already filled me in. And there's no way I'm letting you do this without me!"

I felt a huge smile light up my face. The rest of the gang had already agreed enthusiastically.

Everyone except Preston. I hadn-

"So have you told Preston?" Grant suddenly interrupted my thoughts. I stared at him for a moment, wondering when he had learned to read thoughts.

"Um… no….not yet." Zach answered for me.

"I don't know if he'd want to guys." I admitted. "I mean… it's his parents…"

Bex and Grant exchanged a look.

Suddenly, Preston appeared in the doorway. He walked into the room and sat down on one of the beds slowly. "Hey, guys."

"You okay?" I walked over and sat beside him. He was hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees, his eyes gazing at nothing.

"I…I'm gonna come." Preston spoke softly, gently nodding his head. He looked over at me. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I'd like to come."

I smiled at him. "Okay."

-:-:-:-

_Walking back to the room that night, I tried not to think about all the things I still didn't know. Like where_ Catherine_ had gone, or how to find_ her_. Or who the asset was that my dad had met at the circus and how she'd gotten a copy of Gilly's list. I didn't let myself fixate on exactly where and how_ I had given away the list without knowing.

_Those questions would come back eventually, I was sure. But not _now. Now, _I let myself realize the one fact I'd been too afraid to admit: no one is chasing me anymore._

_Now, Gilly's list is still in my mind, crystal clear and waiting. For me to be rested. For us to be ready. For a new semester and a new chance to finish the work that Gilly and my father started so many years before._

_Now I know that, from this point, we'll be the ones doing the chasing._

_And I like it._

_THE END  
_

* * *

**A/N: Well, this is a pretty big milestone for me... my very first story has ended! The italicized section at the end is actually the end of Out of Sight, Out of Time. I liked how well it worked with my story... Okay news:**

**There WILL be a sequel! I'm not sure when the first chapter will be up, but I will post the first chapter on this story so you all can find it :) Also, I can't decide what to name it... So I thought I'd see what you guys thought! What do you think of these:**

**_ Shell Game  
Ahead of the Game  
A Whole New Spy Game (Play off of a whole new ballgame)  
Game plan_**

**_Let me know what you think :)  
_**

**_I purposely did not mention how exactly Catherine caused the pain in Cammie's head for two reasons: 1.) I couldn't make up my mind... I have a few ideas, but couldn't pick. 2.) That will brought to attention in the sequel...If you have an idea, or a reason why it happened, I'd be interested in hearing other ideas! Reviews.. sigh... I love them!  
_**

**_I have a few new stories that are either published, or about to be:  
_**

**_The Gallathorne Games is a parody of Hunger Games that I'm tweaking and changing to fit Gallagher Girls.  
_**

**_Going Through the Motions: This is a new story I'm in the middle of writing. Basic summary- Much like this story, it's set after OSOT. Cammie leaves and goes to take down the Circle. She gets caught, and wakes up one day completely blind after a section of the Circle base is attacked. She decides not to go back to Gallagher immediately, but then accidentally runs into Zach! And that's all I'm going to tell you ;)  
_**

**_Double-Take: Cammie gets kidnapped in the Roseville Mall. Her kidnapper takes her out of the mall, threatening Cammie if she says anything. Cammie tried to get Rachel's attention, but Rachel's frantic gaze passes right over her, like Cammie is invisible. Rachel freaks out, and gets Cammie's flyer posted all around the small town of weeks later, Zach sees Cammie in passing. Something about her sticks in his mind. He sees a flyer posted in the gas station near his house, on a board that says: "Have you seen this child?"  
_**

**_Please check them out!  
_**

**_I hope you guys have enjoyed the story.. Please review! The most this story has gotten for a chapter is 11 reviews... It'd be amazing if you guys could beat that on this final chapter!  
_**

**_The sequel should be out pretty soon... Thanks so much for following this story! You guys are awesome!  
_**

**_-Ash  
_**


End file.
